UK Pizza Hut to shut 68 sites after collapsing into administration

Pizza Hut may close up to 68 restaurants after UK owner DC London Pie entered administration. Photo / Getty Images

Pizza Hut is preparing to shut dozens of restaurants after its UK owner collapsed into administration.

As many as 68 Pizza Hut restaurants are at risk of closure after owner DC London Pie called in administrators at FTI Consulting.

FTI said it had agreed a rescue deal with Yum! Brands, which owns the Pizza Hut brand globally. Yum! Brands has bought 64 sites, around half the Pizza Hut UK restaurants – saving 1276 jobs.

However, it means hundreds of workers are still facing the threat of redundancy, with the future of dozens of restaurants still uncertain.

Nicolas Burquier, the managing director of Pizza Hut Europe and Canada, said the deal was designed to “protect jobs where possible”, adding: “Our immediate priority is operational continuity at the acquired locations and supporting colleagues through the transition.”

It comes after a rescue deal for Pizza Hut’s UK sites just months earlier. DC London Pie bought the UK Pizza Hut restaurants out of administration earlier this year, with the deal saving all but one of the sites.

DC London Pie is backed by US private equity firm Directional Capital, which also owns the pizza chain’s franchises in Sweden.

At the time, Jens Hofma, the former Pizza Hut’s UK chief executive, said the deal with DC London Pie meant that “the future of the business has been secured with a strong platform in place”.

Pressure on pizza chains

Under its previous owner, Heart With Smart, the company had racked up tens of millions of pounds of debt. Heart With Smart had owed more than £50m when it collapsed.

Since taking over the brand, DC London Pie has sought to turn the chain around.

In September, the UK Pizza Hut business appointed Gino Casciani, who had held senior positions at Yum! Brands, as its new chief executive.

It had said his appointment came at a “pivotal moment” for the brand. Six weeks ago, a subsidiary of Yum! filed a winding up petition against DC London Pie.

The threat of closure at dozens of its UK restaurants comes after analysts warned of pressure on pizza chains, which have been struggling with weaker consumer confidence and higher employment costs.

Figures from hospitality analysts at Meaningful Vision earlier this year showed that pizza was the only type of fast food to post a drop in new store openings over the first half of 2025.

A spokesman for Pizza Hut UK said: “We are pleased to secure the continuation of 64 sites to safeguard our guest experience and protect the associated jobs.”

FTI declined to comment.

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