Papa John’s International: Continues European Expansion and Announces Plans to Enter Madrid, Spain

Louisville / KY. (pj) Papa John’s International Inc., the world’s third largest pizza company, announced the signing of a development agreement to open over 100 restaurants in Madrid and the surrounding area. PJ Espana Pizzerias SL, the master franchisee for this agreement, which is a fully owned subsidiary of Drake Enterprises AG, the same owner of the Papa John’s franchisee in Chile, is set to open its first unit during the second quarter of 2016.

«We are very excited to bring the Papa John’s promise of «Better Ingredients. Better Pizza» to customers in Spain», said Jose Maria Fernandez, who will lead the operation for PJ Espana Pizzerias. Papa John’s prides itself on quality and consistency, offering fresh, hand-tossed dough, fresh-packed tomato sauce and real mozzarella cheese to make a truly better pizza.

«The Papa John’s brand continues to grow and we are pleased to extend our growth with our successful franchisee from Chile into Spain», said Tim O’Hern, Senior Vice President + Chief Development Officer of Papa John’s International Inc. «Not only do we look forward to introducing Spaniards to our quality ingredients, but we also look forward to creating more quality jobs across Spain. There is a huge opportunity to create a meaningful impact to Spain’s labor market».

The entry into Spain continues Papa John’s strategy of business development in Europe. Papa John’s International has over 300 restaurants in the U.K. and has recently announced plans to open in Northeastern France. Papa John’s International is currently looking for potential franchisees in other areas of France, as well as Poland, Czech Republic and Belgium.