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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Apr- 2021 -7 AprilGovernment
High Court sets date for gov’s hospitality restrictions evidence
The government reportedly has until 16 April to file evidence on why indoor hospitality cannot open until 17 May, following a High Court judge ruling. According to Sky News, permission for the case to go to judicial review, and in turn be expedited, will also be made on the week…
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6 AprilGovernment
Matt Hancock called to High Court to explain pub closure reasoning
Health secretary Matt Hancock has been called to give evidence at the High Court following a legal case brought forward by Manchester’s night-time economy adviser, Sacha Lord. The summons follow former Pizza Express boss Hugh Osmond and club operator Lord’s decision to launch a legal challenge which suggests the government…
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Mar- 2021 -25 MarchRestaurants
Deliveroo and Pizza Express renew national partnership
Deliveroo and Pizza Express have announced a renewed national partnership with a two-year exclusive deal across the UK and Ireland. Pizza Express first partnered with Deliveroo in 2016, and customers are now able to order from its pizzerias on Deliveroo in 105 UK towns and cities. In total under the…
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18 MarchRestaurants
Pizza Express to reopen 118 restaurant this April
PizzaExpress has announced that after a three-month hospitality hiatus, it will be welcoming back customers from 12 April to 118 of its restaurants in England for outdoor dining. Last year, the group formally launched a CVA in a bid to reduce its restaurant estate and rental cost base following the…
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15 MarchCoronavirus
Hugh Osmond joins legal battle to reopen indoor hospitality
Hugh Osmond, the current director of Various Eateries, has joined Sacha Lord’s legal challenge against the government to reopen indoor hospitality at the same time as non-essential retail next month. Osmond, founder of Punch Taverns and former Pizza Express director, wrote to Boris Johnson about the prime minister’s “irrational decision”…
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Feb- 2021 -8 FebruaryCoronavirus
Losses from top 100 UK restaurant groups rise 112% to £571m
The top 100 UK restaurants groups saw their losses soar by 112% to £571m last year, rising from reported losses of £269m at the end of last March, according to UHY Hacker Young. The firm said these losses only run up to the start of the lockdown and are therefore…
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Jan- 2021 -15 JanuaryCoronavirus
Over 800 chain restaurants closed indefinitely due to Covid
Over 800 chain restaurants, cafes and pubs have closed indefinitely due to Covid-19, according to research carried out by the Evening Standard. The pandemic has greatly affected the wider hospitality sector, with operators having to regularly close over long periods of time due to tougher lockdown restrictions and social distancing…
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4 JanuaryCoronavirus
Pandemic fuels 30,000 restaurant job losses
Almost 30,000 job losses were recorded by the UK’s restaurant and casual dining firms in 2020, according to data compiled by the Centre for Retail Research (CRR). The research also found that redundancies in the industry spiked 163% as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and related restrictions. The job…
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Nov- 2020 -6 NovemberPeople
Pizza Express names new chairman and group chief exec
Pizza Express has announced that Allan Leighton and David Campbell have been appointed as chairman and group chief executive. Along with the appointments, Pizza Express revealed the completion of its recapitalisation, giving the company a “strong balance sheet and significant funds to invest in growth in the years ahead”. The…
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Oct- 2020 -30 OctoberFood and Drink
Pizza Express to axe a further 1,300 jobs
Pizza Express will reportedly cut 1,300 additional jobs across its 370 UK restaurants attributed to poor sales and the continued impact of Covid-19, according to the BBC. The losses come weeks after the firm launched a CVA bid that proposed 1,100 jobs would be cut and 73 restaurants close. The…
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