Capital show for Papa John's
14th March 2008
Like many Americans who come to the UK Papa John’s Pizza has always enjoyed London and this year it is no different.
The pizza company famous for its ‘Better Ingredients. Better Pizza’ commitment will be making its presence felt at the British & International Franchise Exhibition at Olympia on April 4th & 5th.
The company opened its 100th store in the UK in Hammersmith at the start of the year and with over 25 new stores planned in 2008, Papa John’s is looking forward to showcasing its expansion plans.
On hand at the show will be a number of Papa John’s personnel to answer any prospective franchisee questions – and to ensure guests at Olympia receive maximum insight – Papa John’s has asked that one of their leading London multi-unit franchisees is there to tell his side of the story.
Thirty-year-old Raheel Choudhery already has seven Papa John’s stores having opened his first franchise just five years ago in Grays, Essex. Since then he gone on to add outlets in Docklands, Islington and Wanstead, and currently has an eighth store scheduled to open shortly in Harringey.
Born in East London, Raheel worked in the family business for a number of years, after leaving university, before looking round for a new challenge – and finding Papa John’s Pizza.
Raheel said: “I was seeking a new opportunity to develop and prove that I could be a success on my own. I started researching franchise opportunities and found that Papa John’s offered me exactly what I wanted.
“The franchise route but more importantly the brand, which has a great business model, has been ideal for me and over the past five years I have managed to successfully grow the business with my eighth store opening soon. The plan is to eventually have 12 of my own Papa John’s within the M25.
“For me becoming a Papa John’s franchisee has been a rewarding venture and I would recommend it for people looking to make a serious investment. To be a success you need to be passionate and dedicated not to mention prepared mentally for the short term financial constraints, as running a franchise doesn’t mean you have bought an instant money making scheme.”
As well as opening its first store in Manchester, Papa John’s attended the British Franchise Exhibition at the GMEX and business development manager, Dave Bancroft was amazed by the response the company’s presence generated.
Speaking about the exhibition Dave said: “Manchester provided us with a strong start to 2008 in attracting new franchisees, and the success of that event is extremely encouraging for Papa John’s, and is testament to the appeal our area development opportunities have for investors.
“The show generated a huge amount of interest in the brand in an area where Papa John’s was hoping to make an impact, now we are looking to build on this success at Olympia and continue to highlight the growth and development opportunities available to both multi and single unit investors and operators across the UK.”
Also on hand at Olympia will be property and franchising director, Alan Mason, to meet visitors and outline the company’s goals and aspirations for the UK market.
He said: “This year promises to be one of the most exciting we have ever had. We opened our 101st store in Sale just after Christmas, and will open a further 14 stores by June 2008 – a rate of one a week.
“The locations we are looking to attract new franchisees and open new stores in are: Manchester & M62 corridor, Leeds, Oxford, London inside the M25, Cambridge, Chester, Bristol, and further opportunities exist within the East and West Midlands.
“Papa John’s offers franchisees a number of benefits that competing brands are unable to deliver. As well as being part of an international pizza company, we are able to offer a number of development areas to franchisees. These allow investors to own a number of stores in one region, offering economies of scale and fantastic business opportunities for growth.”
Papa John’s was established in the USA in 1984 and has gone onto become the world’s 3rd largest pizza currently operating more than 3000 restaurants in 29 markets around the world.
All franchisees are perfectionists in the art of making pizzas and if you have a keen attention to detail, you could be the missing piece in Papa John’s UK jigsaw.
The Papa John’s trophy cabinet is testament to the company’s promise, with a host of prestigious awards next to its name, including:
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