Toledo’s Marco’s Pizza has signed a deal to open 40 stores in Puerto Rico over the next nine years.

Marco’s has awarded brothers Terry and Chris Tsavoussis the right to develop the Puerto Rico stores. The Tsavoussis brothers also own the rights to develop Marco’s stores in the Bahamas.

To help develop the Puerto Rico territory and open the first store there by March the Tsavoussis brothers have partnered with MP Puerto Rico, Inc., which runs two other restaurant franchises within the U.S. territory, the Taco Maker and Camille’s Sidewalk Cafe.

The partners plan to open four Marco’s stores in Puerto Rico next year.

“Puerto Rico is a Mecca of [quick-serve restaurants] in the Caribbean with a huge influx of big pizza chains,” Terry Tsavoussis said in a statement. “But soon everyone in the region will experience the same authentic Italian quality difference that Marco’s consumers have come to love coast-to-coast in the continental U.S.”

This year, Marco’s plans to open more than 100 franchised stores nationwide. The company has more than 340 franchised and company-managed pizza stores in 29 states, Panama, and the Bahamas.

“The Puerto Rico deal marks another positive milestone for Marco’s,” Bryon Stephens, chief operating officer of Marco’s Pizza, said in a statement.

"We’re confident that this agreement will lead to further growth internationally,” he added.

First Published November 20, 2013, 3:02 a.m.