Pizza Hut plans to close 300 locations in the USA.
According to media reports, the franchisee NPC International is preparing to close around 25 percent of its Pizza Hut restaurants in the USA, which corresponds to around 300 units. Dine-in locations are to be closed in the main.
NPC International is the largest
Pizza Hut franchisee in the USA. The company currently operates
1,227 of the brand's
restaurants in its home market, which represents approximately 20 percent of the Pizza Hut restaurants in the country. Now the portfolio is apparently to be streamlined.
Due to the impact of the
Corona Pandemic, NPC International has announced plans to
close approximately
300 Pizza Hut restaurants in the US. The affected locations are mainly those that have
not established a
supply business and have generally had a low level of permitting in the past.
New developments enable
According to a statement from NPC International, among other things "This move offers tremendous benefits to NPC and its stakeholders by positioning NPC's Pizza Hut business to drive
operational excellence and enable new developments through a
streamlined portfolio". If possible, all employees of closed locations will be transferred to other Pizza Hut restaurants.
Franchiser
NPC International operates a total of around 1,600 restaurants in the USA. In addition to Pizza Hut,
Wendy's is part of the company's portfolio. Pizza Hut is part of the quick service group
Yum! Brands, which reported a system-wide decline in sales of 3 percent in the first quarter of fiscal 2020. Pizza Hut is considered a problem child and even had to report a
Sales decline of 9 percent ...withstand.
1,350 express restaurants
Already last year, before Corona, the closure of Pizza Hut restaurants in the USA was discussed. There are currently over 7,000 Pizza Hut locations in the USA. About 1,350 of these units are considered
express restaurants. "We have many locations that were built in the right place 30 or 40 years ago," the company said at the time. "
But these locations no longer meet modern delivery requirements. "