Operations

Ireland, UK Pizza Hut price hikes may be ahead

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April 14, 2022

Price increases for Pizza Hut in the U.K. and Ireland are inevitable, according to Pizza Hut CFO and Managing Director Neil Manhas, who told Sky News the brand has attempted to avoid price hikes but it's not a sustainable option.

Manhas said Pizza Hut U.K. and Ireland have experienced staffing shortages, rising fuel costs and growing inflation — which hit an annual rate of 7% in March.

"We're now looking at around low double digit cost inflation, which obviously is significant right across food and packaging," Manhas told the news outlet. "And that goes across dairy, across wheat, across meats, oils, vegetables, there's very little at the moment that is untouched through this."

Staffing shortages have hit especially hard.

"I think right now for our business, we have over 1,500 vacancies, about 1,000 of those are drivers — delivery drivers. We also have bold plans to open 50 Pizza Huts this year, which would create another 1,200 jobs," Manhas told Sky News.