Leading pizza franchise, Papa John’s, has announced the opening of its new store in Harrogate. The latest northern expansion is being run by ex-army major, Dan Wilkinson, who joined Papa John’s as a franchisee just a few months ago. He has already taken over two Papa John’s in Aberdeen, two in Liverpool and has recently opened Durham.

“Harrogate

will be my sixth Papa John’s,” confirms Dan Wilkinson. “My goal is to open between 10-20 Papa John’s in the North and Scotland over the next few years. In order to achieve my business plan, I am currently building up my team of support staff. In addition, I have been fortunate enough to be able to take advantage of some of the fantastic franchisee incentives that Papa John’s is currently offering and this will be key in enabling me to open further outlets. Papa John’s is at such an exciting time in its development and I am really looking forward to helping the brand become a house-hold name in my region.”

“Dan’s operational background gained from a successful 19 year career in the Army, plus his excellent leadership skills, makes him well placed to drive the success of multiple Papa John’s stores,” confirms Anthony Round, business development manager, Papa John’s. “Our franchise team is working closely with Dan to support him. Our team help source the right store location, manage the fit-out required and provide marketing both at a local and national level. For example our staff develop tailored new store launch promotions and create high-profile campaigns such as our football association where Papa John’s is the official Pizza Partner of The Football League. It is this kind of support for our franchisees that is crucial when it comes to both new openings and to maintain brand awareness on an ongoing basis.”

To get new franchisees off to a great start, Papa John’s is currently offering the following franchisee incentives: for new stores opening in Wales, The Midlands, North East, The North West and Scotland we are offering a nine month royalty break for stores opening before the end of 2014. Papa John’s is also supplying free oven and refrigerated equipment, plus an additional £10k of marketing spend for the store opening launch.

“The whole package could result in savings of 50k for your first Papa John’s store!” confirms Round. “These fantastic deals are only available for 2014 and are limited, so first come first served!”

Papa John’s is one of the largest pizza companies in the world, with more than 4,300 stores worldwide and is rapidly expanding in 34 markets around the globe. Papa John’s, which is renowned for its product quality, has opportunities for potential franchisees throughout the UK including the key locations of the South East, Yorkshire, Manchester, West Midlands, East Midlands, South West, North East, Wales & Scotland.