Pizza fans in the Atmore area can look forward to a little more variety, as Little Caesars has announced plans to open a new store in town.

The pizza chain once had a presence in Atmore as part of the Kmart location on Lindberg Avenue that closed in 2003.

Bob Mazziotti, vice president of franchise development for Little Caesars, said the decision to open an Atmore store has been made and the company is working to settle on a location that he hopes will be open by this time next year.

“We should be there within a year,” Mazziotti said Monday during a conference call with The Advance. “Normally, what I do is look for a franchisee to help us get going in the town we have targeted and that’s what we are doing in Atmore. It really profiled well and I think the most exciting part is just that we are coming.”

Mazziotti said the franchisee chosen to open the Atmore store has not yet been announced publicly, but added that the person would be the owner/operator of a Little Caesars location close by.

“Based on our success over the last decade, we’ve really had some significant sales increases and now we have a demand in all of these cities where we don’t have a store,” Mazziotti said. “What’s happening now is, it’s under contract to be developed. One of the nearby franchisees is probably looking for real estate opportunities before we move forward.”

While a store location is being worked out, Mazziotti said the company is anxious to become part of the Atmore market and community.

“We’re really happy to come to Atmore,” he said. “The demographics look great. A lot of roads lead to Atmore. We also look forward to the opportunity to joining into your community. We participate a lot in the local community.”

Mazziotti said the new location will likely bring 10 to 15 jobs, including a full-time management position and part-time personnel.”

He said the Atmore Little Caesars would not offer delivery, but would have the store’s popular Hot-N-Ready deal, which offers consumers the choice of picking up a “freshly-prepared” pizza for $5 in the store or through a drive-through window.

“We will not deliver, but we will locate ourselves to be convenient to most of the residential area,” Mazziotti said. “Today, people are on the move. They want to pick (pizza) up on their way to and from. There is no waiting.”

Mazziotti said more updates on the new store, including a location, would be released as the decisions are made, but stressed the company’s eagerness to move into the Atmore community.

“We look forward to getting there,” he said. “It’s just a matter of where we locate.”