FOOD & DRINK
NEW PLACES NEW PEOPLE
While the big cities such as Karachi , Lahore and Islamabad are important focal points where Pizza Hut is most established as a brand , it is the smaller cities that hold the most potential for growth . “ These may be places with two or three million people but who have never seen an international food brand before ,” Ozanne adds . “ They will be familiar with pizza of course , but Pizza Hut will be totally new to them . This creates a set of new challenges from supply chain and logistics through to marketing and education of our brand .”
Around half of the 13 new store locations for 2017 have been decided . It is a challenging process which involves careful consideration of an array of factors , from supplier networks and energy supplies to footfall and scope of local competition .
One might believe that recruitment poses another challenge when opening a new store . However , for Pizza Hut in Pakistan , the opposite has been the case . Ozanne explains : “ The recruitment side isn ’ t actually a big challenge for us , and being part of a big group with Yum ! is a big benefit in terms of training provision . If we put an ad out locally and say we are recruiting , there are lines down the street of people wanting to apply , so we have the luxury of being able to filter out the best candidates . We have international brand appeal , so getting people to join us is not an issue .”
The international brand appeal of Pizza Hut can in fact present a retention challenge in some instances , for ambitious local competitors may be willing to prize away employees . However , the development of new stores and resultant recruitment drives carries with it a positive message to the new communities Pizza Hut is arriving in . “ We also hire a lot more staff per store here than we do in other locations such as Australia ,” Ozanne adds . “ We can have anywhere up to 20-30 people working in a store at any one time , with 15 riders waiting on deliveries .”
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