PizzaExpress franchise
2025 filing · October 13, 2025Shares sales figures
PizzaExpress at a glance
A full-service restaurant serving pizza, salads, sides and drinks.
The business
- Franchisor
- PizzaExpress US Limited
- The company that sells the franchises
- First location
- 1965
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $1.52M–$1.96M
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $20,000
- Plus a $6,600 set-up fee
- Royalty
- 4%
- 4% of gross sales each accounting period (more when development obligations are not met), plus a 1% brand development fee
- Brand fund
- 1%
- 1% of gross sales, paid with the royalty
- Agreement length
- 10 years
Where it is
- US locations, 2024
- 0
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 0
- Company-owned
- 0
- Change in 3 years
- 0
- Franchised locations, 2022–2024
From PizzaExpress US Limited’s 2025 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
PizzaExpress among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | PizzaExpress | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $1,739,149 | Costs more than 91% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $20,000 | Lower than 89% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 4% | Lower than 93% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 0 | Fewer than 97% of franchises |
How much a PizzaExpress franchise costs
Opening one PizzaExpress costs an estimated $1,520,861 to $1,957,436. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are leasehold improvements ($868,505 to $1,118,583) and furniture, fixtures & equipment ($367,705 to $456,702). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $20,000 | ||
| Architect/Engineering Fee | $72,251 | ||
| Business License & Permits | $13,200 | ||
| Liquor License | $12,500 | ||
| Rent - First 3 Months | $20,000 | $50,000 | |
| Leasehold Improvements | $868,505 | $1,118,583 | |
| Furniture, Fixtures & Equipment | $367,705 | $456,702 | |
| Opening Inventory | $15,000 | $20,000 | |
| Insurance | $2,500 | $16,000 | |
| Training Costs: Travel and Living Expenses While Training | $15,000 | ||
| On-Site Training Fee and Reimbursements | $21,000 | $40,000 | |
| Professional Fees | $9,800 | ||
| Uniforms | $1,800 | ||
| Computer, Point of Sale System and Annual Maintenance Contract, and Office Equipment and Supplies | $20,000 | $30,000 | |
| Website Fee | $6,600 | ||
| Grand Opening Advertising | $5,000 | ||
| Additional Funds – First 3 Months | $50,000 | $70,000 | |
| Total | $1,520,861 | $1,957,436 | |
Source: PizzaExpress US Limited, 2025 filing, page 16
PizzaExpress franchise fee
The franchise fee is $20,000, plus a $6,600 set-up fee. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: PizzaExpress US Limited, 2025 filing, page 11
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 4% of gross sales each accounting period (more when development obligations are not met), plus a 1% brand development fee. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 1% of gross sales, paid with the royalty. |
| Technology Fee | Currently, $80 per month |
| Additional Initial Training Program | Our then-current fee, currently $1,400 |
| Local Advertising Contribution | 1% of Gross Sales |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: PizzaExpress US Limited, 2025 filing, pages 12 and 15
Other fees as filed, from pages 12–13. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures PizzaExpress publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
Source: PizzaExpress US Limited, 2025 filing, page 40
- Estimate Estimated yearly sales per location
- $1.1M–$2M
Estimated from the sales that 292 comparable franchises file, matched on industry, format, cost to open, fees and size.
How PizzaExpress compares
Of the 122 pizza franchises on this site, PizzaExpress is the 117th cheapest to open and the smallest by number of locations.
| Figure | PizzaExpress | Typical pizza brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $1.52M | $349K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $1.96M | $787K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $20K | $30K | $40K |
| Royalty | 4% | 5% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 1% | 1.9% | 2% |
| US locations | 0 | 26 | 21 |
| Shares earnings figures | Yes | 63 of 122 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 122 brands in pizza franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating. PizzaExpress had no U.S. restaurants through 2024; its affiliates run the brand's restaurants in England.
See which brands grew most in the fastest-growing franchises rankings.
More in the guides: pizza franchise costs and franchise failure rates.
Source: PizzaExpress US Limited, 2025 filing, page 42
Who owns PizzaExpress?
PizzaExpress franchises are sold by PizzaExpress US Limited.
From PizzaExpress US Limited’s 2025 filing.
Lawsuits and bankruptcy
| Lawsuits and regulatory actions | None. The filing says no litigation has to be disclosed. |
|---|---|
| Bankruptcy | No bankruptcy of the franchisor. Its U.K. affiliate PizzaExpress (Restaurants) Limited agreed a Company Voluntary Arrangement with its creditors in 2020, after pandemic closures. |
Franchisors must disclose lawsuits and bankruptcies involving the company, its parents and affiliates, and its executives. Many cases are routine disputes with franchisees over fees or contracts; read the descriptions in the filing and ask current owners about anything that worries you.
Source: PizzaExpress US Limited, 2025 filing, litigation on page 11, bankruptcy on page 11
PizzaExpress filings
The figures on this page come from PizzaExpress US Limited’s 2025 filing, issued October 13, 2025, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 filing | October 13, 2025 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2022–2024 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
Other pizza franchises
All pizza franchises
PizzaExpress is also on these lists: restaurant franchises, food franchises.