Papa Johns is set to open 20 new restaurants across Northern Ireland over the next decade, having signed a “milestone” franchise agreement with Rana Group.
The first store opened its doors on 5 December at 82 Broughshane Street, Ballymena, with a second site to be announced by March 2026.
Each new store will create between 15 and 20 jobs, and by the end of the decade the 20 new stores will have generated up to 400 jobs across Northern Ireland.
The franchisee, Rana Abhol, brings more than 25 years of experience in the pizza industry to the new Northen Ireland venture. He joined Papa Johns in 2017 and now operates over 25 locations across the UK.
“This new agreement is an exciting milestone for Papa Johns, reinforcing our momentum and long-term vision for sustainably growing in the UK,” said Papa Johns UK & Europe MD Chris Phylactou.
“We are proud to bring our ‘better iIngredients, better pizza’ ethos to more communities in Northern Ireland and the UK, offering our customers even more opportunities to enjoy the Papa Johns experience.
”This expansion will create hundreds of local jobs and allow us to play a meaningful role in the communities we serve – not just as a consumer brand, but as a committed partner in local growth and development.”
Papa Johns, which currently operates 450 sites across the UK, saw sales increase by 7% to $328m (£243.9m) in its international markets in the second quarter.
The pizza chain opened 45 new restaurants during this time, with 19 in North America and 26 in its international markets.
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