The Irish-owned pizza chain, established in 1986, currently operates 42 outlets in the Republic of Ireland and 14 in Northern Ireland, but Hughes, and a new senior management team, have set their sights on bringing the total number of FSP stores to more than 100 by 2025.

With a wealth of senior executive experience for a host of major hospitality-based companies, Lurgan-born Hughes took over the role of CEO for Four Star Pizza (Ireland) in January this year.

Following a root-and-branch review of Four Star’s business, he has identified several areas for growth, setting a target to open an additional 27 stores in the Republic and a further 18 in the North.

The proposed timeframe for this expansion includes the opening of four new stores this year with a further 16 in 2023 and 25 more in 2024.

New jobs

An average of 20 jobs per store will see the company create a total of 900+ new jobs during this period.

“It’s been an extremely busy, but very productive, first few months in the job,” Colin said.

“Our ultimate goal is for virtually everyone in Ireland, north and south, to have access to a local Four Star Pizza outlet, and the road to achieving that has already started.

“As purse strings tighten across the country, the convenience, affordability and value for money that Four Star Pizza provides, without compromising on quality, has provided a platform from which we can expand to satisfy increasing demand from our loyal and ever-growing customer base.

“From the outset, my priority was to carry out a full review of the business and speak to each and every one of our valued franchisees, who have been amazing in helping me understand the many facets and challenges of running one of the country’s biggest franchisee networks.

Frontline feedback

“Add the current situation in Ukraine and a cost-of-living crisis into the mix and, as far as the wider business environment goes, we’re currently in the midst of a perfect storm but the frontline feedback from our franchisee base remains positive with sales volumes and average transaction spends holding up well.

“The good news, from a Four Star Pizza point of view, is that we are operating from a position of strength, having just enjoyed our best year to date in 2021*, and having carried out a data-driven location analysis of our business, I am very excited at the potential to grow the business across many areas, not least geographically,” he added.

Aside from company expansion, Hughes has targeted a number of other areas to accelerate Four Star’s forward momentum and continue improving the quality of its products and services to customers.

These include a focus on franchisee training, quality control, menu improvements, new product development and innovation, brand refreshment, store refurbishments, delivery options, enhancing the company’s digital proposition and – crucially – securing all-important supply chains which have been significantly impacted by global events.

Challenging environment

“Whilst we are excited by our growth plans, we’re under no illusions that the road ahead will not be easy, as we continue to operate in the most challenging of business environments,” continued Colin.

“Global supply chains are under pressure and, while consumer demand remains strong, the impact of Covid-19, Brexit and the war in Eastern Europe continues to impact on supply chains.  Recruitment, especially in the hospitality industry, is very difficult, freight markets are unbalanced, and price inflation is increasing all the time.

“One of the most important aspects of my role to date has been to review our supply chains and work with our key suppliers to ensure continuity of supply across all products, including flour, cheese, proteins and packaging.

“There’s no point in creating demand if you’re not in a position to meet it, so that has been a priority for us and we are now well positioned to move ahead with our expansion plans.”

Recruitment drive

Currently the company is engaged in a proactive campaign to identify new store locations and recruit potential franchisees.

According to Colin Hughes, interested parties do not need any previous pizza experience as Four Star Pizza will provide all the necessary training in food preparation, accounts, customer service, delivery and marketing.

“We’re on the hunt for any potential entrepreneurs with a good business brain to consider joining our growing network and becoming part of a progressive company with a very strong brand,” continued Hughes.

“In just a few months you could own a brand new business, built around a highly successful model and with all the support you need from a team of business experts to help you to recruit, manage, grow and thrive in your chosen town or city,” he added.

“Becoming a Four Star Pizza franchisee requires a lot of commitment but we are here to help and we offer an extensive training programme to enable franchisees to reach the required levels in terms of operations, marketing and customer service.

“Even if someone is currently running another franchise but is thinking of a change, we would encourage them to get in touch to hear about our exciting plans,“ concluded Colin.

Anyone interested in finding out more about becoming a Four Star Pizza franchisee can do so on https://fourstarpizza.co.uk/franchisee-opportunity/ or by sending an introductory email to info@fourstarpizza.ie, or calling the company on 00353 1 7037300.

Four Star Pizza is Ireland’s biggest indigenous pizza company. It opened its first store in Crumlin, Dublin, in 1986, and its first Northern Ireland store on Belfast’s Beersbridge Road in 1999.  Now the company employs more than 1,000 people across its 56 stores on the island of Ireland, including 14 in Northern Ireland.

The post Four Star Pizza targets 45 new stores and 900 jobs across island of Ireland by 2025 appeared first on Ireland's Forecourt & Convenience Retailer.

The station officially opened on July 8th with a wide range of special offers available in store on the day and throughout July.

The new site is located in Grange, Co. Sligo and will be open Monday to Saturday from 6:30am to 10:30pm, and on Sunday’s from 7:30am to 10:30pm.

The filling station opened initially in 2000, andm with the redevelopmentm will now offer a wide range of superb products and services including Circle K’s deli menu, which includes a staggering 15,000 combinations and not only delivers on choice, but also on quality and a delicious taste.

Also available in-store will be Circle K Coffee, the retailer’s sweet and smooth coffee blend that has been created by a team of award-winning experts, its K-Freeze iced drink range, a wide selection of freshly baked goods as well as delicious soft serve ice cream. The new store will have a new deli and food on the go offerings for those on the move.

Circle K Grange will retain the popular takeaway offer on site, which will reopen in July with a fresh look and feel.

The new store will use the SafePay end to end closed cash system to enhance levels of security and create a safer environment for customers and the 22 employees at Circle K Grange. With SafePay meaning cash never needs to be handled manually, it also benefits staff by significantly reducing the level of administrative activity associated with traditional cash handling.

Circle K’s next generation miles fuel will be also available to customers at the new Grange location, as well as an EV charging station and a carwash that will be opening at the end of July.

Speaking about the opening of Circle K Grange, Paul Dixon, Senior Director of Retail Sales and Operations, Circle K Ireland commented: “We are proud to officially add Circle K Grange to our company owned network today, as we continue to cater for the needs of customers in rural areas across Ireland.

“We are excited to offer our premium range of products to the people of Grange, Co. Sligo, and road users travelling the area; from our superior quality next generation miles fuel to our Circle K Coffee specially brewed for the Irish market.”

“I wish all the best to our colleagues and store manager Marie Gallagher, as they continue to offer high quality service to the community of Grange.”

For more information on Circle K, visit www.circlek.ie, Circle K Ireland on Facebook or @circlekireland on Twitter and Instagram.

The post Circle K opens brand new service station in Grange, Co Sligo appeared first on Ireland's Forecourt & Convenience Retailer.

The data was collected on behalf of the Restaurant Association of Ireland (RAI), which opposes the Government’s proposed measures to limit the use of paper-based cups.

The post Two-thirds of consumers don’t support coffee cup ban  appeared first on Ireland's Forecourt & Convenience Retailer.

That’s according to new research from Subway on the lengths Irish people will go to save money.

Subway’s survey of 1,000 Irish people has found that over a third (38%) admit they have given themselves a haircut in an effort to chop their spending, with others avoiding social occasions to save on buying gifts (28%) and stealing toiletries from hotel rooms (19%). There are, however, some things people are not willing to scrimp on, as 32% refuse to cut out ordering a takeaway meal or heading on a night out (26%).

We are a nation of bargain hunters as a whopping 88% say they get a buzz when they find a good deal. Two thirds (62%) will happily wait to purchase an item until it goes on sale, with 12% confessing they are willing to wait from six months to a year for an item to be discounted.

Taking the top spot of the most frugal county in Ireland, Cavan was chosen by the Irish public (33%) with inhabitants perceived to be the biggest penny pinchers, with Dublin coming in second place (17%).

When it comes to splitting the bill, more than half of Irish people (54%) believe that it should be split equally on a first date. While only 3% of women say they would insist on paying the full bill, 57% of males maintain that they will always foot the costs. Despite this, over half (59%) confess it annoys them when their partner is tight with money.

As Irish workers return to offices across the country over the coming weeks, the question of bringing your lunch to work or eating out looms as value is top of mind for consumers, with 35% picking up a Meal Deal regularly to ensure they’re getting the best bang for their buck.

Angie Gosal, Head of Marketing UK & Ireland at Subway, commented: “Our research shows that although Irish people have many tricks when it comes to saving money, missing a nice lunch isn’t one of them! Our Meal Deals are the perfect go-to for many of those who want to satisfy their cravings for great value.

“Starting from just €6, our Meal Deals offer fantastic choice with the option of any Sub, Salad or Wrap accompanied with a drink and either a cookie or packet of crisps. 29% of the Irish public believe they have to compromise on taste when getting a good value meal, but there is no need to worry as our Meal Deals offer the ultimate combination of taste, choice and value for Subway fans nationwide.”

From now until 29^th March 2022 anyone who purchases a Meal Deal in-store and scans their unique Subway Rewards® QR code will get 250 bonus points to redeem on a free side* with their next purchase.

Guests can order in-store, order ahead and collect in-store via the Subway app or order using delivery services such as Just Eat, Uber Eats and Deliveroo.

The post Almost a quarter of Irish people won’t give up a nice lunch to save money, Subway reveals appeared first on Ireland's Forecourt & Convenience Retailer.