Pizza Pilgrims to expand into Scotland and Wales

13-May-2024 - Last updated on 13-May-2024 at 08:45 GMT

Pizza Pilgrims has unveiled plans to expand into Scotland and Wales as it reports ‘a strong year of growth’.

The currently 22-strong group has lined up a site in Cardiff for an August launch and a site in Edinburgh that is slated for December.

Pizza Pilgrims - which is led by brothers James and Thom Elliot - will also launch further London sites in Euston and King’s Cross before the end of the year.

With minimal debt, new site expansion will be almost entirely self-funded from cash flow.

In the year ended 25 June 2023, revenue increased by 37% to a record £28.7m (2022: £21.0m) and pre-tax profit more than doubled to £0.7m (2022: £0.3m). EBITDA before exceptional items was £2.4m (2022: £1.1m). As at 25 June 2023, the Company had 20 sites trading.

“The strong trading across the business, led by Gavin, Sophie and the team, underlines the commitment we have made to serve the best, authentic Neapolitan pizza with our own twist,” Thom says.

“From our very first pilgrimage to Italy in 2012, the team has constantly strived to raise the bar and retain our position as pizza pioneers, sourcing the very best ingredients, pushing boundaries and obsessing about the happiness of our teams and our customers.”

Pizza Pilgrims was launched in 2012 when the Elliot brothers quit their jobs to embark on a six-week ‘pilgrimage’ travelling the length of Italy in a three-wheel Piaggio Ape van to discover the best pizzas in the country.

The group obtained B Corp status earlier this year following an extensive assessment process.