A major pizza chain is set to shut 43 of its UK branches in the next two months because they are in “underperforming locations that are no longer financially viable”. Five of the closures will be in East and West Sussex.
Papa Johns is the second-biggest takeaway pizza chain in the UK and is run on a franchise basis. It says it wants to make “strategic closures” so they can concentrate money and resources elsewhere in the business. It is not known how many staff members are likely to be impacted the closures.
Papa Johns UK Managing Director Chris Phylactou said: “Our priority is our team members, who will be fully supported throughout this process.
Phylactou also said: “While this is a difficult decision, closing these underperforming locations will give us the opportunity to invest back into the right locations with the right partners for long-term growth.
“We are focused on driving shared profitable growth across our UK restaurants, by continuing to make improvements to our business to ensure that we are well-positioned for the future.
“We have been encouraged by the results so far from these initiatives.”
A spokesperson for Papa Johns said in The Sun: “As we work to fully optimise our restaurant operations and improve profitability across the market, we will continue evaluating the growth potential of our restaurants.
“This includes working collaboratively with our franchisees to strategically close low-performing locations when necessary, as well as continuing to invest in the right locations for the benefit of our customers.
The Sussex takeaway Papa Johns pizza outlets earmarked for closure are Bexhill, East Grinstead, Eastbourne, Hailsham and Peacehaven.
