It certainly cannot compete with the national street food, the souvlaki, but pizza continues to be a valuable asset in the catering industry, not only in terms of turnover, but also as a carrier of… innovation.
Through pizza half a century ago, home delivery, our well-known delivery, made its debut on the domestic market, while the companies in this sector have never abandoned the systematic effort to renew products and improve the services provided to customers.
The shares of the powerful “players” in pizza and the reversal
In a highly competitive environment, having largely overcome the scope of increased operational costs (energy, raw materials and transport) and without having lost a critical mass of their clientele due to general poverty, the pizza category is moving upwards, with the four strong ” players’ to improve their profitability.
However, in the medium term, the balance in the pizza market, which adds up to a total value of 330-370 million euros (including the turnover not only of the organized chains but also of the hundreds of small places nationwide, as well as restaurants that do not exclusively have pizza), may be overturned.
And the reason is that from next month a new, but at the same time old, player will be added: Pizza Hut brand of the American giant YUM! Brands Inc., which is returning to Greek catering through the Cypriot group PHC Franchised Restaurants Public Ltd, 4.5 years after its exit in the summer of 2020.
Pizza Fan’s debut
At the moment, however, Pizza Fan, which was started by Konstantinos Adaras in 1996, holds the undisputed lead in the Greek pizza market.
The turnover of Fanatics Pizza Ltd., as the parent company of Pizza Fan is called, increased by 7.77% to 46.27 million. euros from 42.93 million euros in 2022, while net profits after taxes also increased, from 1.45 million euros to 1.61 million euro.
On the contrary, the gross profit margin was reduced by 4.51% to 35.98% from 37.68% in 2022.
The majority of Pizza Fan franchise stores are developed throughout Greece, numbering 90 in total. “This number is constantly changing,” notes the company’s financial statements.
Spectacular profit growth for Domino’s Pizza master franchisee
Good performance was also shown by the No. 2 player in the pizza market: Daufood Greece Monoprosopi S.A., which is a master franchisee of Domino’s Pizza in Greece.
The sales of Daufood Greece in 2023 amounted to 26.42 million. euros against 22.63 million euros in 2022, while it increased its profitability spectacularly, from 1.38 million euros to 2.34 million euro. 
In our country, the company has 48 stores, both corporate and through the franchise system.
It should be noted that Daufood is currently the largest Master Franchisee of Domino’s Pizza in the world since it manages the brand rights in 14 countries. Among them are Portugal, Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Cyprus, Malta, Kosovo, Serbia, North Macedonia and Greece.
The performance of L’ Artigiano and Roma Pizza
Both the smaller market players, L’Artigiano and Roma Pizza, recorded an increase in sales.
In the case of L’Artigiano, a Greek company founded in 1993 by Christos Vitsikanos, in Byron. 
The increase in sales revenue was around 5% (from 3.56 million euros in 2022 to 3.73 million euros in 2023), with the chain returning to profitability at 82,955 euros, against a loss of 224,623 euros in 2022.
Roma Pizza, the oldest of the four strong players, saw its sales in 2023 rise from 1.34 million. euros to 1.55 million euros with its profitability falling from 262,064 euros in 2022 to 74,391 euros last year.
It is worth mentioning that the first Roma Pizza store was opened in 1972 in Cyprus Square, in Kallithea, serving the area until today when the chain has dozens of stores all over Greece. 
It should be noted, as is clear considering the number of stores of each chain, that the aforementioned figures do not include the total sales made by all the points, but only those made by the corporate plus some wholesale sales and service provision .
Pizza Hut: The big comeback
As Konstantinos Doumis, managing director for Greece of the Cypriot group PHC Franchised Restaurants Public Ltd, reports to OT, the first store of the Pizza Hut chain will open in Pagrati, at 120 Ymitto Street, in less than a month from today.
In fact, he notes that a surprise awaits the fans of the famous American brand. “You will soon see the innovation presented by our new store and the Pizza Hut menu,” he says. 
Regarding the future development plan of Pizza Hut in the domestic market, Mr. Doumis states that it is directly dependent on the performance of the stores, but in any case planning has been made for 2025 and 2026 in collaboration with the American Yum group ! Brands.
At the moment, the PHC group manages about 120 restaurants in Greece and Cyprus.
Specifically, in the Cypriot market it represents the international brands Pizza Hut, KFC, Taco Bell, wagamama, caffe nero, Burger King, Jamie’s Italian, Jamie Oliver Kitchen and Paul, while in Greece, wagamama and Pizza Hut.
Wagamama restaurants with Asian-influenced cuisine, which are particularly popular in M. Britain, there are already three points in Attica: in Kifissia, Golden Hall at the junction of Aiolou and Kolokotroni streets in the center of Athens.
First time Pizza Hut
The first time that Greeks – specifically Athenians – ate Pizza Hut was in 1989, when Food Plus as a franchisee of YUM! Brands Inc. with the aim of developing the Pizza Hut brand in the Greek market, opened the first pizzeria of the same name in Kefalari, Kifissia.
Shortly before the start of the financial crisis, Pizza Hut had reached the height of its glory with more than 45 stores mainly in Athens and with a small presence in the region (as of January 2008 it had 44 stores with approximately 700 employees), conquering the first in the category.
In the domestic market, the acceptance of Pizza Hut, which has been advertised even by the leaders of Russia and the USA: Mikhail Gorbachev in 1997 and Donald Trump in 1995, was huge with the turnover reaching the level of 45 million. euro.
But the bankruptcy of the country, which changed everything forever, also meant a reduction in consumption outside the home. Given that Pizza Hut’s turnover came mainly from on-site consumption and much less from take away and delivery, the reverse course began.
Somehow in the period 2010-2014, 27 stores of the chain close and the activity is limited only to Attica.
With the final blow coming in the summer of 2020, as management announced the closure of the last 16 stores citing the problems created by the pandemic.
…and (probably) the second time Taco Bell
However, Food Plus, which belongs to the wider Ioannou group (JP Avax, , Intercontinental, Yes Hotels, etc.), is not excluded, in addition to the KFC restaurant chain, to bring the third mega-brand of YUM! Brands Inc., namely the Taco Bell restaurant chain.
A week ago on the company’s LinkedIn page, an advertisement was posted to find a brand manager, as part of Food Plus’ plan “to expand its activities in 2025 with another large global QSR (Quick Service Restaurant) brand”.
It is recalled that the Taco Bell chain had returned to Greece 14 years ago with the aim of developing in large shopping centers, however the attempt was not successful.
Source: ot.gr
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