PizzaExpress introduces its fare to Mumbai

UK-based casual dining chain, PizzaExpress, will launch its first outlet in India, in South Mumbai, today.

The launch happens a year after the promoters of PizzaExpress, the privately-held Gondola Group, whose revenues are close to a $1 billion, signed an equal joint venture with Gourmet Investments, promoted by the Bharti Family Office. The latter was set up to manage investments of the Mittal family.

The joint venture with PizzaExpress is among the first few investments of the Bharti Family Office and is spearheaded by Ramit Mittal, son of Rakesh Mittal, vice-chairman & managing director of Bharti Enterprises and the elder brother of Bharti Group Chairman Sunil Mittal.

 

But the search for a chief executive officer who will head the JV is on, following the exit of ex-Godrej-Consumer-hand Vivek Mathur, who came on board for a short period this year. Mittal says that a new CEO will be identified soon.

For PizzaExpress, the launch of the Mumbai restaurant will be its second bid at setting up base in India, the first one being eight years ago when it tied up with the V K Modi Group. That venture, however, did not take-off giving a free hand to rivals such as Pizza Hut and Domino's, who've ramped up operations in the last few years. There are over 500 stores of Domino's in India at the moment, while Pizza Hut has over 120-125 outlets in the country.

PizzaExpress has been positioned above Domino's and Pizza Hut, with the menu price ranging from Rs 400 to Rs 600. At Domino's, pizzas typically range from Rs 75 going up to Rs 500 depending on the size and topping. Pizza Hut prices, on the other hand, start from Rs 100 going up to Rs 650.

Neil Wickers, managing director, PizzaExpress International says that the company will not look at launching a home delivery service immediately but will instead focus on driving footfalls into its restaurants. "We will launch a few restaurants in Mumbai before moving to other cities," he says.

Of the Rs 10,000-crore organised food retail market in India, the pizza segment alone is pegged at Rs 1,500-1,600 crore, growing at a clip of about 26 per cent per annum.

But PizzaExpress will not be the only casual dining restaurant specialising in Italian cuisine with Pizza Hut also having made that transition two years ago. The move has been linked to the need to grab a greater share of the consumer wallet's by offering him more in terms of product and service.

At the PizzaExpress outlet in Mumbai, for instance, the menu offers everything from starters to deserts, salads and hot and cold beverages besides pizzas. Wickers says that the attempt is to make the eating-out experience as comfortable as possible for diners with emphasis on larger tables, cushioned seating and good lighting. The menu has also been customised to Indian tastes and preferences with more spicy, vegetarian food on offer.