LOUISVILLE, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Papa John's, the world's third-largest pizza delivery company, today
announced that Avan Projects Pvt. Ltd., has purchased a majority
interest in OM Pizza & Eats, Papa John's franchisee in India. As a
result, Avan Projects will take over the day-to-day operations of all
Papa John's restaurants in India, and has development rights for certain
regions of the country.
Avan Projects is led by Atulya Mittal whose family has significant
business interests primarily in metals and mining. "This is a terrific
opportunity," said Mittal. "With Papa John's support and our experience
in India, we are confident of making the brand a success in the country."
"We are excited about the potential Avan Projects' investment brings to
Papa John's in India," said Tony Thompson, Papa John's president and
COO. "Led by Atulya Mittal, Avan Projects has a keen insight into the
Indian market and consumer. With a strong infrastructure in place, we
are confident Avan Projects will be able to improve operations and grow
the brand throughout the country."
At the end of the third quarter, Papa John's had 4,296 restaurants open
in 35 countries and territories. The company began its international
operations 14 years ago, and has increasingly looked to key
international markets like India for growth.
"We've spent a great deal of time methodically growing our international
operations over the past 14 years," said Tim O'Hern, Papa John's chief
development officer. "India is a key growth market for us and with Avan
Projects we are optimistic that we can continue to grow the brand and
bring a better pizza experience to more and more consumers throughout
the country."
Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, Papa John's International, Inc.
(NASDAQ: PZZA) is the world's third largest pizza delivery company. For
12 of the past 14 years, consumers have rated Papa John's No. 1 in
customer satisfaction among all national pizza chains in the American
Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Papa John's is the Official Pizza
Sponsor of the National Football League and Super Bowl XLVIII. For more
information about the company or to order pizza online, visit Papa
John's at www.papajohns.com,
or visit us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PapaJohns,
on Twitter at http://twitter.com/PapaJohns.
Papa John's International, Inc.
Darryl Carr, 502-261-4318
Director,
Corporate Communications
Darryl_Carr@papajohns.com
Source: Papa John's International, Inc.
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