Pizza Express acquires UAE franchise

Sunday, May 10, 2015

Dubai: Pizza Express said on Sunday that it has acquired its UAE franchise operation and aims to double the number of stores in the Middle East by 2020.

The UK-based restaurant chain, whose UAE operations are run by Jordana, said that it will invest further in the UAE over the next five years, where it has six outlets, but did not say how much. It did not provide the size of the acquisition of its UAE franchise.

“This acquisition builds on our strategy to grow Pizza Express into a truly global brand, and I’m delighted to bring our UAE operation into the core Pizza Express estate. We plan to invest further in the UAE over the next five years as we double the number of Pizza Express sites across the region,” said Luke Davies, managing director of Pizza Express International, in a statement.

Pizza Express’ UAE restaurants are located in Dubai’s Al Safa, Ibn Battuta, World Trade Centre, Bin Sougat, Jumeirah Lakes Towers and Kidzania at The Dubai Mall. It also has a restaurant in Fujairah, and expects to open a new one at Abu Dhabi’s World Trade Centre Mall this summer.

Pizza Express was bought last year by China-based Honey Capital for around £900 million (Dh5.1 billion).

Staff Report