Six-month figures pan out for PizzaExpress

Restaurant group PizzaExpress announced this week that it sold £103.8m-worth of pizza and pasta in the six months to 31 December 2001.

This figure was 16% higher than in 2000, when sales for the period stood at £89.5m. Pre-tax profit increased by 12% to £21.8m, from £19.5m in 2000.

At the same time as it announced the results, the company said that its chief executive, Ian Eldridge, was leaving. It said that Eldridge, who joined PizzaExpress in 1983, had decided to take a "career break". It is unknown what he will do next.

Chairman David Page replaces Eldridge as chief executive. He said: "Over the years, and particularly since flotation of the business in 1993, Ian's operational leadership has been invaluable."

In the six months of the results, 14 PizzaExpress restaurants opened, bringing the number in the UK and Ireland to 287. Like-for-like sales increased by 3%.

At the company's 14-strong Caf‚ Pasta chain, like-for-like sales nudged ahead by 1%.

Page said that the target was to have 500 PizzaExpress and 100 Caf‚ Pasta restaurants in the UK and Ireland.

At least 40 restaurants will open this year.

He added: "We remain confident that the outcome for the full financial year will show further growth."