A Little Caesars pizza restaurant
It is the third largest pizza chain in the world, but Little Caesars is certainly not a household name here in the UK at the moment. The franchise brand, famous for its “Hot-N-Ready” pizzas, has restaurants in 27 countries and territories, but has so far failed to successfully penetrate the valuable UK market. That may all be about to change, because Little Caesars is coming launches this month in Derby, UKalso with branches in London and Liverpool in early 2023.
Little Caesars began life in Michigan in 1959, founded by husband-and-wife team Mike and Marian Ilitch, and began expanding through franchising in 1962. The Ilitch’s strategy was to open stores in locations where pizza had never been available before. the menu, such as military bases, hospitals and student dormitories – a plan that certainly paid off, as there were already 62 restaurants in 1969 and the rapid growth continued through the 1970s and 1980s. In 1988, Little Caesars celebrated the milestone of having restaurants in all 50 states and by then was firmly established as one of the “Big Four” pizza franchises (the other three being Dominoes, Pizza Hut, and Papa Johns). In addition to an innovative approach to location, the pizza brand is also leading the way with their products and processes, including the invention of a conveyor belt oven specifically designed to bake pizza, and unique products, such as their Crazy Bread breadsticks.
Innovation may have been a key factor in Little Caesar’s success story, but their first attempt to break into the UK market was not a successful one. Little Caesars UK launched in 1985, but the operation could not be scaled up in the same way as at home. Relations between UK franchisees and the US parent company deteriorated, with franchisees claiming communication between the US and UK was poor, that the brand had not provided enough support and that they had not adapted to the UK consumer audience. The last Little Caesars location in the UK closed in 2000.
Fast forward over two decades, and the UK relaunch is part of the pizza franchise brand’s newfound international growth plans. The company has clearly learned from past mistakes and now has a dedicated international team vice president of international development Carlos Vidal says “We’ve added members to our international team. The support is there. You have a team of people to support you, and we’re not talking about people who are shared between domestic and international development – the team is solely focused on International .” Its rapid growth strategy has a strong focus on multi-unit ownership, with the brand looking for operators willing to open 20 units or more in an initial five-year period.
This next phase of growth for the established pizza chain is supported by technological development and further signature innovation. The brand was already at the forefront with its Pizza Portal introduced in 2018, where customers can pick up an order from a temperature-controlled food locker accessed by a QR code. efficient process for their Hot-N-Ready model.
With the UK pizza industry market size estimated at £3.5 billion in 2022, measured by sales, and with continued growth predicted, Little Caesar’s return to the UK market seems well timed. And with a fresh approach based on lessons learned from the past, the pizza brand will no doubt hope that building its presence this side of the pond will be a process as quick and efficient as its famous Hot-N- Ready menu.
Janice has been with businesskinda for 5 years, writing copy for client websites, blog posts, EDMs and other mediums to engage readers and encourage action. By collaborating with clients, our SEO manager and the wider businesskinda team, Janice seeks to understand an audience before creating memorable, persuasive copy.