Pizza Express to cut 1,100 jobs

LONDON: Restaurant chain Pizza Express said on Tuesday it could cut 1,100 jobs and close around 67 pizzerias in Britain as it grapples with the "unprecedented challenges" of coronavirus. The chain, which has 600 restaurants globally including 449 in the UK, said it was putting itself up for sale as part of a restructuring plan to deal with the fallout from the pandemic.

The company, majority-owned by Chinese firm Hony Capital, said it plans to reduce the size of its British restaurant footprint by 15 percent to help protect around 9,000 jobs in the country.

"It is with a heavy heart that we expect to permanently close a proportion of our restaurants, losing valued team members in the process," said managing director Zoe Bowley.