Founded in 1965, the firm went public in 1993 and bought out existing franchises three years later. With some 5,000 employees in the UK alone, the firm opened 32 local branches last year and plans to open about 50 more this year. In addition to Pizzaexpress, the company now includes eight Cafe-Pasta branches, which it acquired in 1998. Brits are eating less beef these days because of threats of disease, so pizza can be expected to become even more popular. Since the local market is pretty well saturated, Pizzaexpress began expanding abroad in 1997 and now operates in, among other countries, Spain, Greece, Hungary and Poland.
Customers are generally youn gish.
More than half are female. SOME of the London branches are surprisingly stylish for a pizza parlor. Though they all have similar features, they are individually designed to complement their location. There's the Pheasantry, for example, a historical property on King's Road, Chelsea, which was once owned by a famous ballerina, Serafina Astafieva, and later became a cultural center. The practice barre still remains as a feature on the first floor, along with a large terrace courtyard and sweeping entrance.