ENTERPRISING brothers hope to build a business empire in Malvern after opening a new sandwich shop.

Brothers and business partners James and Jonathan Osborne opened the Subway in Barnard's Green this week, creating 15 new jobs.

The brothers have both won business awards whilst managing Domino's Pizza stores in Worcestershire and have over 14 years of experience between them of working for franchise businesses.

The decision to become their own bosses made them invest in the Subway franchise with the support of NatWest Business Banking.

The opening, on Wednesday, means the brothers, from Redditch, will be selling over 1,000 Sub sandwiches a week. The pair see this as the first step in building their own business empire and they are already looking at other business opportunities.

According to the NatWest/ British Franchise Association survey, 93 per cent of all franchising units in the Midlands are making a profit and with the industry being worth a record £10.8 billion.

James Osborne, aged 27, said: "Jonathan and I were both very successful managers of franchise businesses and we could very clearly see the benefits of having our own business. We wanted to go out on our own and work for ourselves, but with the help of a franchisor. The Subway chain really fitted the bill."

Jonathan, aged 24, said: "We are really excited about the new shop and would like to thank everybody who has helped us realise our dream."