PizzaExpress to launch nationwide delivery service
Pizza group PizzaExpress is to launch a delivery service in London, with plans to expand across the UK.
Available for delivery order from 11:30am to 11:30pm, the menu will be almost identical to that found in the restaurants, except for a few items that did not deliver well in trials.
The system will allow customers to order online, let them follow their order by GPS once the order is on their way, and send a text two minutes before the order arrives. Customers will also be able to save their favourites online.
From a business point of view, this tracking process will also allow the delivery centres to see where its bikes are, whether they have capacity for more orders, and how long it will take for them to complete an order. Also, rather than the traditional "delivery drivers", the service will use uniformed "waiters", and use branded, battery-powered scooters to save on emissions and cut down on noise.
Richard Hodgson, chief executive of PizzaExpress, said, "This is an enormous growth opportunity. The pizza delivery market is dominated by American-style, thick-crust pizzas [but] thanks to advances in technology, we don't have to compromise on the quality of our thinner-crust pizzas when in transit."
First opened 50 years ago in London's Wardour Street, by Peter Boizot, PizzaExpress now has over 400 sites across the UK and in 2014 was sold in a £900m deal to Chinese private equity firm Hony Capital.
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