EG Group, the retail giant founded by the billionaire owners of Asda, has expanded its franchising partnership with Pizza Hut.
The Blackburn-headquartered company is to operate eight new Pizza Hut locations in petrol forecourt stations across the UK by the end of 2021.
The expansion will create approximately 90 jobs, with the first EG Group-operated store due to open in the Hartlepool area in the coming weeks.
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The deal comes a year after Pizza Hut announced plans to open 125 new locations over a three-year period – creating around 2,000 jobs.
Neil Manhas, general manager at Pizza Hut Delivery in the UK, said: "We are extremely excited to partner with EG Group to create further opportunities for our communities and continue investing in the brand our fans know and love.
"EG Group has a wealth of experience in forecourt retail, in operating food service and their expertise as a global leader in this specific type of retail makes them the ideal partner to lead us into this new market.
"This partnership demonstrates our commitment to adapting to customer demand by expanding our offerings.
"This wouldn’t be possible without the incredible work of each of our franchisees and team members, who have helped us continue to grow following the pandemic. I appreciate their dedication to the Pizza Hut brand."
Mohammed Tayab, food and beverage director - Europe at EG Group, added: "We are proud to be partnering with Pizza Hut to bring yet another global food service brand to our customers in convenient locations across the UK.
"We are excited to build on our existing relationship with Yum!, as we already work with KFC and operate a large number of restaurants across the EG Group estate.
"We look forward to trialling the pizza by the slice proposition and making it a resounding success."
