FOUR STAR PIZZA’S new CEO Colin Hughes has named Galway as a possible location for one or more new stores to be opened by the company over the next three years.
Following a root-and-branch review of the Irish-owned pizza chain’s business, Hughes has identified several areas for potential growth and Galway features high on the list of targets.
Established in 1986, Four Star Pizza currently operates 42 outlets in the Republic of Ireland and 14 in Northern Ireland but plans to bring its total number of stores to more than 100 by 2025 – targeting 27 new stores in the Republic and a further 18 in the North.
An average of 20 jobs per store will see the company create a total of 900+ new jobs during this period.
Now the food giant is on the hunt for ambitious local entrepreneurs who would like to earn a crust and grab a slice of success with one of the country’s largest pizza companies.
According to Colin Hughes, interested parties do not need any previous pizza experience as Four Star Pizza will provide all the necessary training in food preparation, accounts, customer service, delivery and marketing.
“Our ultimate goal is for virtually everyone in Ireland, north and south, to have access to a local Four Star Pizza outlet, and we have identified Galway as a strong potential location for more stores,” said Hughes.
“We currently have a couple of potential locations under review but we’re also open to suggestions from potential franchisees who wish to join our expanding presence in Ireland.
“With this in mind, we are encouraging any local entrepreneurs with a good head for business to consider joining our growing franchisee network in Ireland and becoming part of a progressive company with a very strong brand.
“We’re offering candidates an opportunity, in just a few months, to run their own business, built around a highly successful model and with all the support you need from a team of business experts to help you to recruit, manage, grow and thrive in your area.
“Becoming a Four Star Pizza franchisee requires a lot of commitment but we are here to help and we offer an extensive training programme to enable franchisees to reach the required levels in terms of operations, marketing and customer service,” he continued.
“So if any talented business brains in the area fancy a new challenge and think they have what it takes to run their own Four Star Pizza business, we’d be very happy to hear from them.
“Even if someone is currently running another franchise but is thinking of a change, we would encourage them to get in touch to hear about our exciting plans,“ added Colin.
It’s been an extremely busy first six months in the CEO role for Northern Ireland-born Hughes who took over the role in January, bringing with him a wealth of senior executive experience for a host of major hospitality-based companies.
He claims the company is in a very strong position to expand to grow and meet increasing demand.
“As purse strings tighten across the country, the convenience, affordability and value for money that Four Star Pizza provides, without compromising on quality, has provided a platform from which we can expand to satisfy increasing demand from our loyal and ever-growing customer base,” said Hughes.
“On the back of our best year to date in 2021*, we are operating from a real position of strength, and having carried out a data-driven location analysis of our business, I am very excited at the potential to grow the business in not just Galway but many areas across the country.”
The timeframe for Four Star’s expansion includes the opening of four new stores this year with a further 16 in 2023 and 25 more in 2024.
Anyone interested in finding out more about becoming a Four Star Pizza franchisee can do so on https://fourstarpizza.ie/franchisee-opportunity/ or by sending an introductory email to [email protected], or calling the company on 01 7037300.
Aside from company expansion, Hughes has targeted a number of other areas to accelerate Four Star’s forward momentum and continue improving the quality of its products and services to customers.
These include a focus on franchisee training, quality control, menu improvements, new product development and innovation, brand refreshment, store refurbishments, delivery options, enhancing the company’s digital proposition and securing all-important supply chains which have been significantly impacted by global events.
“We are operating in an extremely challenging business environment with a lot of pressure on global supply chains,” said Colin, “so one of the most important aspects of my role to date has been to review these and work with our key suppliers to ensure continuity of supply across all products, including flour, cheese, proteins, and packaging.
“This has been a priority for us but I’m pleased to report that we are now very well positioned to move ahead with our exciting expansion plans.”
Four Star Pizza is Ireland’s biggest indigenous pizza company. It opened its first store in Crumlin, Dublin, in 1986, and its first Northern Ireland store on Belfast’s Beersbridge Road in 1999. Now the company employs more than 1,000 people across its 56 stores on the island of Ireland,
