The Nine Group aims to open 40 new Pizza Hut delivery locations across the U.K. over the next three years.
Pizza Hut has announced its partnership with Nine Group, which will become the franchisee for 31 existing Pizza Hut Delivery and Express Hut locations. On top of managing the existing locations, Nine Group plans to open 40 new Pizza Hut locations within the next three years.
The 40 new locations will be divided into 30 Pizza Hut and 10 Express Hut locations, creating over 800 new jobs in the next three years. The first new location is due to open in the Merryhill Centre in Dudley as a Pizza Hut Express in December.
Pizza Hut in the U.K. comes in three different formats:
- Pizza Hut Delivery – A menu of pizzas, sides and desserts available for home delivery or collection.
- Pizza Hut Express – Located in shopping malls and other such busy locations, the focus is on convenience. Customers are expected to wait five minutes and can eat in or take their food away.
- Pizza Hut Restaurants – A traditional, full-service Pizza Hut restaurant designed for customers to sit in.
This is a part of the brand’s wider growth plans. Pizza Hut Delivery announced in November 2020 plans to build 125 new locations over a three-year period, creating 2,000 jobs.
“We are so excited to be partnering with Nine Group to grow our business, create opportunities for our team members and continue investing in our brand,” said Neil Manhas, general manager at Pizza Hut Delivery in the U.K.
“They have a great track record of success in the hotel business and their growth mindset and commitment to customer excellence makes them well placed to continue to grow with Pizza Hut Delivery.
“We welcome Nine Group to the Pizza Hut family with Vivek and his team already hitting the ground running, kicking off the launch of their first new Pizza Hut Express in Dudley very shortly.
“This partnership is a testament to the growth we have seen this year, as well as the incredible work of each of our team members who have brought us through a challenging 18 months, and I cannot thank them enough for their hard work.”
“This partnership gives Nine Group the chance to diversify into an area which has seen significant growth during the pandemic and we are thrilled to be working with Pizza Hut; benefiting from a strong brand with a heritage of innovation,” said Vivek Chadha, managing director at Nine Group.
“Nine Group will be responsible for operating the Pizza Hut Delivery and Express Huts across London and we will concentrate our plans to expand the network further across London and the South East. We are eager to embrace the multi-channel strategy of Pizza Hut Delivery, giving the customer what they want, how they want it.
“At Nine Group our experience in hospitality has taught us the value of being part of the communities we operate in and we welcome the opportunity to provide extra jobs and build teams.”
“Despite the difficulties that some sections of the hospitality industry has faced we are still finding that demand is outstripping the supply of available property, confirming that hospitality is a great sector to invest in whilst many owners are staying put and enjoying a resurgence in sales,” said Simon Christie, senior director at Christie & Co.
“The sale of this package to a hotel operator once again proves that Christie & Co’s outreach to those not previously active in the world of franchising is creating great interest.”
