Pizza Hut, a quick service restaurant (QSR) chain which had increased its store count to 820 in the last year in India, will continue its “aggressive expansion spree” with a significant commitment to expand its presence in emerging smaller markets, the news agency PTI reported.
According to the report, the company is focusing on ‘Gen Z’ and the growing middle class, which is climbing up the consumption ladder with increased buying power, said Pizza Hut Indian Subcontinent Managing Director Merrill Pereyra.
As part of the expansion, Pizza Hut is focusing on emerging markets in Tier II & III places, which now contribute 50 per cent of its business in India and intends to further harness the potential that exists here.
“In the last two years, we have doubled our estate. We have gone from 417 restaurants to 820. We plan to keep that expansion going. We believe in the country,” Pereyra told PTI.
In 2022, Pizza Hut India achieved robust System Sales Growth of 47 per cent — the highest amongst all Pizza Hut subsidiaries, globally. Pereyra said in Asia (without China), there is one Pizza Hut restaurant for every 3 lakh people but in India, this average is 3 million.
Pereyra said he sees great possibilities in expansion in India to reach young consumers in the ‘untapped’ Tier II and Tier III markets.
Pizza Hut is also available on government-backed Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) platforms. According to Pereyra, it further helps them in enhancing customer reach.
