Franchising

Papa John's plans 250 German stores in 7 years

June 29, 2021

Papa John's is not only expanding into Germany, but doing so in a very big way, with plans to work with franchise partner, PJ Western Group, to open 250 units there over the next seven years, a news release said. In fact, PJ Western Group — one of Papa John's largest global franchisees in Central and Eastern Europe — has opened the first seven Papa John's in Magdeburg and Leipzig, with plans to open another six stores in Halle and Merseburg by the end of the summer.

"We are excited to expand our business farther west into the heart of Europe," PJ Western Group founder and CEO Christopher Wynne, said in the release. "We are excited to bring great pizza and innovation to the German pizza market."

PJ Western Group currently operates 200 Papa John's restaurants, in addition to 10 dough production plants in Europe and Asia. To accelerate this expansion into Germany, PJ Western is looking for new franchisees to join the brand in Germany, as well.

"This expansion into Germany follows a record year of sales and growth that has positioned Papa John's to further accelerate development in international markets," Papa John's International COO Jack Swaysland said in the release. "We are excited to expand our partnership with PJ Western. Chris' team has proven over and over again its ability to successfully develop new markets."

In May 2019, PJ Germany, together with PJ Western, acquired 13 existing locations of another pizza restaurant with plans to convert each site into a Papa John's restaurant. The project was initially postponed due to the COVID-19 global pandemic.

The company continues to focus on its rapid global development and is seeking potential franchisees in Brazil, Japan and Southeast Asia. Papa John's is currently in 50 international countries and territories around the globe. In recent years, it has entered 12 new countries, including France, Spain, Tunisia, Iraq, the Netherlands, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Poland, Pakistan and Portugal.

Papa John's is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, with more than 5,400 restaurants in 50 countries and territories.