Major pizza chain abruptly closes eight restaurants with immediate effect

A major pizza chain has announced the closure of eight restaurants with immediate effect as it struggles to find a new owner.

Papa Johns has confirmed that its eight locations will remain closed until a new owner is found.

Here is a complete list of the Papa Johns locations closed this week:

• Nantwich Road, Crewe
• Macclesfield, Cheshire
• Longton, Stoke-on-Trent
• Kannock
• Halesowen
• Wednesfield
• Newcastle Road, Sunderland
• Kidderminster

The restaurant chain told The Sun: “Papa Johns prides itself on delivering high-quality ingredients and an enhanced customer experience across all its locations across the UK.

“We strive to provide consistency to our fans, and that is what they have come to expect from us.

“Unfortunately, not all of our restaurants are meeting our expectations, which is why we have made the difficult decision to temporarily close our stores in the North West and Midlands until we find a new owner.

“We are very grateful to all our team members and look forward to seeing our loyal customers again soon.”

Papa Johns says it plans to reopen the branches once a new owner is found and is currently in positive discussions with a potential new owner.

The American chain has not given a timeline for possible reopening of branches.

Locals did not react well to the news when it was shared on Facebook.

One user said: “Still better than Domino's”

Another said: “Nooooo!!!!”

“Sad that people will lose their jobs,” said another.

Papa Johns is the second largest takeaway pizza brand in Britain and has 118 owned and operated branches, as well as 406 franchises.

Domino's, the chain's biggest rival, operates in 1,253 locations and Pizza Hut in 150.

Papa Johns' first British restaurant opened in Grays in Essex in 1999 after the brand went international.

But in 2013 it celebrated the opening of its 200th UK store.

The pizza chain closed 22 restaurants3 in 2022 but opened new branches at 15 locations.

In January, The Sun exclusively revealed that as many as 100 Papa Johns branches will be closed this year.

The chain, which operates 524 locations in Britain, recently told investors it expects “additional strategic restaurant closures of underperforming restaurants” in a bid to boost profits.

The closures come as hospitality bosses say they are facing their worst start to the year on record, with a series of high-profile closures.

Energy costs have risen and more and more consumers are choosing to easily order online instead of going to a restaurant.

As a result, some chains are facing tighter budgets and have no choice but to close a number of branches to reduce costs.

In January 2023, Byron Burger fell into administration, with the owners saying this would result in the loss of more than 200 jobs.

Taco Bell, which has not been on the scene for long, pulled down the shutters on a drive-thru restaurant in Aberdeen.

Hostmore, the owner of restaurant chain TGI Fridays and 63rd+1st, has said it will not open any new restaurants until at least 2025 after confirming a decline in profits.

Costa Coffee will close two cafes at the end of this month.

Italian restaurant chain Prezzo announced plans in April to close 46 restaurants due to rising energy and food costs, putting 810 jobs at risk.

Even Wetherspoon has struggled to weather the storm, with 40 pubs closing last year and as many as 20 preparing to close this year.

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