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Aussie Pizza Haven franchisee struggles amid Domino's purchase rumors

March 16, 2005

The Courier-Mail: The operator of the last Pizza Haven franchise in the Australian state of Queensland is being forced to pay his weekly rent for an empty shop because he can't get the ingredients he needs to make pizzas.

Steve Ward, who paid AUS $120,000 (U.S. $95,300) for the franchise two years ago, said he now has a worthless business. He has had to fire 14 employees after heeding advice from the Adelaide-based Pizza Haven to sell out to rival Domino's (which bought all of Pizza Haven's stores in New Zealand earlier this year), though the contract fell through two weeks ago.

Ward said he couldn't get supplies from any other sources because of his franchise agreement with Pizza Haven, owned by the Christou family.

"Now I feel like there's nothing I can do because the franchisor in Adelaide made the decision in Queensland to sell to Domino's," Ward said.

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