Pizza firms bet on post-Covid sales growth in Ireland and UK      

Apache and Domino's both have plans to hire staff

Pizza firms on both sides of the Irish Sea are betting that surging demand will continue after Covid as Apache Pizza plans to open 20 outlets in Ireland and Domino’s said it seeking to hire 5,000 pizza chefs and delivery drivers in Britain.

Apache Pizza will open more franchised outlets in Ireland as it builds on the growth of takeaway sales during the pandemic.

The pizza firm also plans to hire 300 staff in the next six months as part of the expansion plans that include opening 15 outlets in the Republic and five in the North as it seeks to recruit franchise owners to run the stores. With 169 outlets, Apache said it is Ireland’s pizza market leader.

The pizza firm was founded in Dublin 25 years ago but has since been bought out by international giant Food Delivery Brands and OKR, best known as the franchise owner in Ireland for Burger King.

It plans to expand to have 2,740 staff north and south by the end of 2021,” said chief executive Martin Lyons.

Rival Domino’s will also add to its 1,100 stores in the UK as customer demand was showing no signs of slowing, operations director Nicola Frampton said.

Earlier this year, the firm said it was appointing a CEO for the Republic focus on growth when Covid-19 restrictions are lifted. The company is a franchise of US-based Domino’s Pizza.

Its London-listed shares have risen 17% this year to recover all its losses during the pandemic, and is valued at €1.43bn. It operates almost 1,150 stores in Britain and the North and has 54 outlets in the Republic.