Papa John's confirms closure of 43 'underperforming' sites`

The group, which operates around 450 sites in the UK alongside concessions in service stations and holiday parks, said the locations identified for closure were ‘no longer financially viable’ and will shut by mid-May following a consultation process.

It has not yet been confirmed how many staff will be impacted by the planned closures.

Chris Phylactou, Managing director at Papa John’s UK, said: “Our priority is our team members, who will be fully supported throughout this process.

“Our goal is to work with impacted team members and attempt to find redeployment opportunities where available.

“We understand the impact this will have on our team members and are committed to supporting them during this time.”

Earlier this month it was reported that Papa John’s was preparing to close around 50 UK sites as part of a process to boost its operations​​.

As part of its strategy, the group also plans to increase investment in research and technology, such as better utilising customer data.

It said it will look at the development of new types of sites beyond traditional restaurants, such as expanding into more holiday parks, and is set to 'announce other large retail partners in the coming months'.

“While this is a difficult decision, closing these underperforming locations will give us the opportunity to invest back into the right locations with the right partners for long-term growth,” Phylactou added.

“We are focused on driving shared profitable growth across our UK restaurants, by continuing to make improvements to our business to ensure that we are well positioned for the future.

“We have been encouraged by the results so far from these initiatives.”