Yard Sale Pizza will open three to four locations in London next year and will continue picking up its pace of expansion as it looks to hit the 150-site target, founder Johnnie Tate tells MCA.
The neighbourhood pizza chain operates 11 London locations and is keen to secure new investment to accelerate expansion.
“After an initial review, we’re actively looking for opportunities to find the right partner,” Tate says. “We’re patient but also ambitious.
“We see the potential to grow to 150 sites. There’s lots of opportunity in London but also lots of scope outside the capital.”
Yard Sale Pizza will look to expand outside the capital in two to three years’ time, targeting cities like Manchester and Brighton, as well as university towns and satellite towns around the M25.
While there is opportunity to build the brand’s presence in central London in the future, it is first and foremost a neighbourhood pizza delivery business, Tate says.
“Part of the good thing about our model is low rents. In neighbourhoods, we can also get involved with the community.”
Nevertheless, Yard Sale Pizza’s Shoreditch site has benefited from lunchtime and corporate trade in the area, meaning it is now “happy to pay higher rents in commercial locations.”
The brand will look to city centre locations and mixed-use areas like Canary Wharf in the future.
New openings will continue to be delivery-oriented compact units with c20 covers.
“We like buzzy, small units,” Tate adds. “We don’t want to operate massive restaurants.”
While the pizza delivery sector peaked during the pandemic, year-on-year order numbers are on the rise, reflecting c15% sales growth across the estate.
Since its founding in 2014, the business has grown steadily and independently.
“We’ve got the brand and a quality product…operations-wise, we’re ready to scale.”
Yard Sale Pizza offers an in-house delivery service – made up of c70% electric bikes – that allows for control over quality as well as increasing opportunities for branding, he explains. Whilst using the Just Eat portal, the brand delivers orders via its own fleet, and has no immediate plans to partner with other delivery platforms.
“We can set things right when they go wrong. We also have control over customer data for our marketing.
“The business model is working and all sites are profitable. It’s the strength of our brand and our product.”
The uniqueness of the brand also lies in its hybrid product – a mix between Neapolitan and New York-style pizza – designed for delivery, according to Tate.
“We do lots of collaborations to be creative with the customer experience. Pizza has definitely become more competitive…there are lots of new independents emerging.
“We can’t rest on our laurels – having a great quality product and service is critical.”
The flexibility of the model, along with its success in both up-and-coming and well established neighbourhoods, allows for the confidence to “go anywhere in London,” he adds.
“Our openings have gone beyond expectations…we’d ideally like a prime spot on the high street, but don’t need one.
“We see pizza as an affordable luxury and don’t feel like we’re being negatively affected by the cost of living crisis. If anything, we’re going from strength to strength.”
