Pizza Express
Coverage tracks the operational and strategic developments of one of the UK’s most established casual dining brands, with a focus on estate refurbishments under the “Future Express” programme, rollout of digital ordering and pay-at-table tech via Pepper, expansion into retail with supermarket pizzas, and growth in delivery partnerships with platforms like Deliveroo and Just Eat. Reporting also covers site closures, pricing strategy, leadership changes, and repositioning efforts aimed at re-engaging younger diners and improving off-premise performance. Insight is geared toward operators monitoring high-street group strategy, brand recovery, and innovation in the mid-market pizza sector.
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Jan- 2023 -5 JanuaryPeople
Pizza Express managing director to step down
Pizza Express managing director Zoe Bowley is set to step down from her role after 12 years with the company. Bowley joined the company in 2010 from Café Rouge and started as operations director. She was appointed as managing director at Pizza Express in 2017. As managing director she helped…
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Aug- 2022 -2 AugustPeople
Comptoir Group chair and CEO step down
Comptoir Group has announced that the group’s CEO, Chaker Hanna, and chair, Richard Kleiner, have both stepped down with immediate effect. As a result, Beatrice Lafon and Jean-Michel Orieux have been appointed to the board with immediate effect as independent non-executive chair and independent non-executive director, respectively. It is reported…
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May- 2022 -27 MayPeople
Pizza Express names Paula MacKenzie as CEO
PizzaExpress has announced the appointment of Paula MacKenzie as CEO, joining the company on Monday 6 June. It said MacKenzie has over 20 years’ experience in transforming Food and Drinks businesses by “unlocking the power of brands”. She has worked for some of the world’s most recognised and valued companies…
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20 MayPeople
Young’s appoints first retail director
Young and Co’s (Young’s) has announced that Mark Loughborough will join the board in the newly created role of retail director, effective 30 September 2022. In his new role, Loughborough will report to Young’s chief operating officer, Simon Dodd. Loughborough has a wealth of experience, having spent 11 years with…
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Apr- 2022 -1 AprilNews
Pizza Express to return to fair tips policy amid Unite campaign
A long campaign by Unite, the leading hospitality union, has secured a return to a fair tips policy at Pizza Express, boosting the wages of low paid waiting staff. In March, the association said an internal Pizza Express committee established to agree tips allocation, scrapped a controversial rule that 50%…
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Feb- 2022 -8 FebruaryGovernment
Over 250 hospitality leaders call for VAT to be held at 12.5%
More than 250 business leaders from hospitality and leisure have written to the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, urging the Government to keep VAT at 12.5% beyond March 2022, according to UKHospitality. It revealed the letter calls on the Treasury to maintain the current level to enable many “fragile” businesses to continue…
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Nov- 2021 -5 NovemberRestaurants
Top restaurant brands see turnover decline 20% in 2020, report finds
The top 25 restaurant groups in the UK have reported a reduced combined turnover of -20.1% year-on-year in the 2020 financial year at £2.1bn, the latest data from the Lumina Intelligence Operator Data Index revealed. The report found that the average operating profit across the leading 25 restaurant groups has…
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Sep- 2021 -20 SeptemberRestaurants
Pizza Express to open vegan restaurant in Aldwych
Pizza Express has announced the opening of its new fully-vegan restaurant in Aldwych, opening September 21. It follows the successful introduction of vegan pizzas to its main menu over the past few years. The new restaurant will feature a brand new, fully vegan menu featuring meat-free versions of five of…
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Apr- 2021 -22 AprilRestaurants
Pizza Express to recruit 1,000 new staff members
Pizza Express will launch a campaign to recruit 1,000 new staff members upon the reopening of its pizzerias in May and June. Some 300 of the jobs will be offered as a part of the government’s kickstart initiative, as the group aims to support the industry’s post-pandemic recovery. While 118…
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16 AprilFood and Drink
Takeaways and deliveries soar 346% in March
Delivery and takeaway sales in March 2021 reportedly rose 346% year-on-year as consumers continued to replace dining out with at-home orders. According to the CGA’s hospitality at home tracker, the figure also represented a 9% increase from February’s levels. The study found that deliveries accounted for over 62% of operators’…
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