New Papa John’s franchisees smash store opening targets

Richard McElroy and Chris Makin also opened the pizza franchise's 500th store last year

Papa John’s new multi-unit franchisees, Richard McElroy and Chris Makin, have opened their store in Leigh, Manchester, already smashing their target to launch six stores in their first year and creating more than 150 new jobs.

Amit Pancholi, director of business development of Papa John’s UK, confirmed: “2021 was quite a year! As an organisation we’ve opened double-digit stores across the UK, growing our brand presence both on the high street and also in non-traditional locations such as holiday resorts, leisure venues and more. Richard and Chris have fully bought into our ethos and values, and we are proud to support them as they also continue to grow their portfolio of stores, bringing Papa John’s to even more customers wherever and whenever they want to enjoy their favourite pizza treat with family and friends!

“As one of their six Papa John’s, Richard and Chris opened our 500th store in Ormskirk last year. As we celebrate that milestone in the UK, and as our franchisees continue to grow, more employment opportunities are created at every level. All new starters have full scope and use of our dedicated Pizza Academy training system containing a suite of training modules on various aspects of the business. It means any new team member may join as a delivery driver, for example, but map out a career pathway by acquiring the relevant skills and experience to become a team leader or store manager and beyond.”

Richard said: “Growing a business is exciting and as part of that, being able to create more jobs in Manchester, in the communities we know and live, is an honour. For us, our people are the key ingredient in our recipe for success! We now look forward to welcoming many more recruits of all ages and backgrounds to our team as we develop our management structure and continue to add more stores in the region.”