Future of town’s Papa Johns looks safe amid nationwide closures

The future of a pizza chain’s West Norfolk store looks safe as it was not included in a list of 43 locations it will shut.It comes after Papa Johns said earlier this year that it planned to shut a raft of “underperforming” sites within two months.The takeaway business has today confirmed the branches it will close by mid-May following a consultation process – Lynn’s store on Blackfriars Street, which opened back in 2021, is not on the list.

The company has not confirmed how many staff will be impacted by closures.The group had previously said it planned “strategic closures” in order to free up money for investment and improve profitability at its remaining UK sites. It has now identified 43 restaurants as “underperforming locations that are no longer financially viable”.Chris Phylactou, managing director at Papa Johns UK, said: “Our priority is our team members, who will be fully supported throughout this process.“Our goal is to work with impacted team members and attempt to find redeployment opportunities where available.“We understand the impact this will have on our team members and are committed to supporting them during this time.” Papa Johns said it plans to increase investment in research and technology, such as better utilising customer data, as part of its UK strategy.It also said it will look at the development of new types of sites beyond traditional restaurants, such as expanding into holiday parks, and is set to “announce other large retail partners in the coming months”. Mr Phylactou added: “While this is a difficult decision, closing these underperforming locations will give us the opportunity to invest back into the right locations with the right partners for long-term growth.“We are focused on driving shared profitable growth across our UK restaurants, by continuing to make improvements to our business to ensure that we are well-positioned for the future. “We have been encouraged by the results so far from these initiatives.”The following sites are set to shut:-Barnsley, South Yorkshire
-Bebington, Merseyside
-Bexhill, East Sussex
-Billericay, Essex
-Bromley, Greater London
-Coulsdon, Greater London
-Cricklewood, Greater London
-Darlington, County Durham
-Doncaster, South Yorkshire
-Durham, County Durham
-East Dulwich, Greater London
-East Grinstead, West Sussex
-Eastbourne, East Sussex
-Hailsham, East Sussex
-Harringay, Greater London
-Harrogate, North Yorkshire
-Hendon, Greater London
-Horsham, West Sussex
-Lancaster, Lancashire
-Leeds Meanwood, West Yorkshire
-Liverpool West Derby Road, Merseyside
-Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire
-Mottingham, Greater London
-Northwood Hills, Greater London
-Peacehaven, East Sussex
-Peckham, Greater London
-Penge, Greater London
-Putney, Greater London
-Redhill, Surrey
-Rochdale, Greater Manchester
-Rotherham, South Yorkshire
-Ruislip, Greater London
-Runcorn, Cheshire
-Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire
-Sittingbourne, Kent
-Southport, Merseyside
-St Helens, Merseyside
-Stoke Newington, Greater London
-Tunbridge Wells, Kent
-Upminster, Greater London
-Watford St Albans Road, Hertfordshire
-Whitton, Greater London
-Wimbledon, Greater London