Pizza Hut has signalled full steam ahead, with the first of more than 50 Eagle Boys stores switching to Pizza Hut officially opening in Sydney at northern beaches suburb Collaroy.
The national rollout will help bring Pizza Hut’s network to more than 320 stores, representing the biggest-ever network for Pizza Hut in Australia.
Around half of the 50+ stores will switch to Pizza Hut by the end of the year. Umina on New South Wales’ central coast will open next week, followed by, in order, stores in Western Australia, South Australia, Northern Territory, regional NSW and Queensland.
The expansion is the first major move in reinvigorating the Pizza Hut brand, which is now under Australian management for the first time.
“We are thrilled to work with a new group of passionate pizza franchisees from Eagle Boys. The future is all about growth and innovation for Pizza Hut and converting stores into Pizza Hut over the next few months is one way we are bringing a dynamic new energy and new customer focus to the market.
“It’s a significant opportunity to grow the distribution and brand presence of Pizza Hut for our customers and take advantage of the economies of scale that come with being a bigger organisation,” said Pizza Hut Australia CEO Lisa Ransom.
The new Pizza Hut Collaroy store is operated by Michael Cooper, an Eagle Boys franchisee for seven years who said he was looking forward to the opportunities that will come from being a part of a revitalised Pizza Hut.
“The Pizza Hut team really understands what it is like to work as a small business serving the local community and how important it is to maintain a local feel. It’s also great news for local jobs and local pizza lovers,” Cooper said.
Hot on the heels of the launch, a new equity store in Sydney’s Newport will open in early December.
“We’ve got skin in the game now and Newport is the perfect place for us to open our store in time for a fantastic summer ahead. We’re excited to be able to generate around 20 local jobs and become a part of the local community,” said Pizza Hut Australia CEO Lisa Ransom.
Pizza Hut is now under Australian management for the first time and will focus on building a stronger, customer-centric leadership position, further embracing digital innovations and trends, growing new stores, and building economies of scale to boost market share and profit.