PizzaExpress, the Hony Capital-backed group, has begun to build a pipeline for its new standalone delivery format Delivered, with five sites already lined up for the concept, M&C understands.
The company, which plans to open 150 dedicated delivery sites across Britain over the next five years, creating 2,500 jobs, has gone on site on its first Delivered unit in Exeter, with an opening scheduled for later this month.
M&C understands that the group has now also secured the Pizza Amante site (a former Lupa unit) in West Hampstead for its first standalone opening in London.
Further sites in Milton Keynes and Cambridge are also in the pipeline, while the group is set to open a Delivered unit adjacent to its existing restaurant in Staines.
PizzaExpress began the rollout of its new delivery offer Delivered into two of its sites in central London last year.
Although Cambridge had long been mooted as the locations for the first dedicated Delivered site, chief executive Richard Hodgson said that up to seven sites were consideration for the first standalone unit under the new format.
On the concepts development, he said: “I don’t think it was a particular moment of genius to think that pizzas could be delivered. Domino’s, Pizza Hut, Papa John’s and a whole host of independent players do a great job delivering pizza around the world. We have a great business outside of our restaurants already, we sell 34 million through the likes of Tesco and Waitrose. One of the very simple insights from that was our customers saying to us that we don’t always want to go out but we don’t always necessarily want an American deep pan pizza. We would love an Italian pizza but its not that convenient to come into one the restaurants for a takeaway can you deliver it?”
Hodgson said that at present the group doesn’t know the mix of the 150 delivery sites it hopes to open over the next five years. He said: “What it will not do is impact on the dining experience of our customers. No customer should know that the restaurant in which they are enjoying their meal is also acting as a delivery hub. Fortunately we don’t have many restaurants that our quiet enough to run delivery out of so we see this primarily as a standalone opportunity. You look at a business like Domino’s that has c850 sites, incredible like-for-likes and incredible margins, and there is enough white space even in the UK for another 300 to 400 sites, and you think can we get to 150? I would be disappointed if we didn’t.”
