Leading pizza franchise, Papa John’s, has announced its new franchisee for Hertfordshire has broken the company’s UK record for a first week’s trading.

Luigi Forgione  who opened his Papa John’s pizza outlet in Ware, Hertfordshire, in March, saw takings up in excess of 20% in the first week compared to the previous most successful Papa John’s store opening in 2012 (or last 12 months).

Forgione puts his start-up achievement down to: “proactive marketing and previous food retail experience. I also run several fish and chip shops and a chicken shop in the area, so I knew how to prepare my staff ready for the busy opening period.

“Enthusiasm for the product is also essential when running any successful business,” explains Forgione. “I believe in the Papa John’s concept of only using the highest quality ingredients and 100% fresh dough to create a top quality pizza with a better natural flavour. Combine this with excellent customer service, rapid delivery times and a great brand and I knew the franchise would be a winner from the outset.

Forgione, who funded the franchise through the success of his other investments, first discovered Papa John’s when he was on holiday in the US. He was so impressed he returned home determined to open his own Papa John’s. Now, he employs 20 people in his Ware outlet and plans to open a further Papa John’s in Broxbourne within the next few months.

However, his ambitions don’t stop there: “My aim is to open a total of 10 Papa John’s over the next five years,” confirms Forgione. “It will be hard work, but with the right staff and the Papa John’s UK head office team behind me, the potential of running multiple franchise outlets is really exciting.”

Papa John’s is one of the largest pizza companies in the world, with over 3200 stores worldwide and is rapidly expanding in 29 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 Yorkshire, Manchester, West Midlands, East Midlands, South West, North East, Wales & Scotland.