Pizza Hut opens first restaurant in almost a decade

Following a million-pound investment, Pizza Hut Restaurants has opened its first new site in over six years at the White Rose Shopping Centre, Leeds.

The new restaurant will be set within the 65,000 sq ft leisure extension of the Shopping Centre alongside a new 11-screen Cineworld IMAX cinema, due to open later this year.

Over the past five years, Pizza Hut restaurants have undergone refurbishment funded through a £60m investment which began in 2012 when Rutland Partners acquired the business.

The Leeds site will feature the American inspired designs, a cocktail bar and a new menu with dishes such as chilli chicken pizza, chicken wings, Kentucky style BBQ ribs, and American style waffles.

Pizza Hut Restaurants' chief operating officer Mike Spencer said: "Leeds is a real powerhouse with huge economic potential and the extension to White Rose has cemented the shopping centre as a serious destination for consumers and businesses alike. We're delighted to have snapped up a space in the extension which we believe is a fitting venue for our first new Hut in over six years.

"Today's opening marks a significant landmark in our business strategy which has, for the past five years, focused on the restructure of our existing portfolio of restaurants across the UK."

Pizza Hut's latest reported figures reported a like-for-like increase of 6.2% which was credited to the brand-wide refurbishment scheme.

Turnover for the year to 29 November 2015 stood at £225m, while profit before tax was £7.9m, down £1m on 2014.

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