Pizza Pilgrims to expand into Scotland and Wales after revenues rise to £28.7m

James (left) and Thom Elliot, co founders of Pizza Pilgrims

Pizza Pilgrims, the popular pizza chain, has announced plans to extend its reach into Scotland and Wales.

The company, which currently operates 22 pizzerias in England, primarily in London, is set to open four more locations Cardiff in August, Edinburgh by December, Euston in London in June, and King's Cross, London, in August. The brand was established in 2012 by brothers Thom and James Elliott, who embarked on a six-week pizza "pilgrimage" through Italy after leaving their jobs.

Their journey across Italy in search of the best pizzas was documented for an Apple TV series titled 'James And Thom's Pizza Pilgrimage'. From humble beginnings as a single pizza van, the Elliott brothers have grown Pizza Pilgrims into a multimillion-pound business, employing 480 people and serving up to 50,000 pizzas a week.

According to the most recent accounts the company's revenue increased by 37% from £21million to £28.7million, while pre-tax profit more than doubled from £300,000 to £700,000. At the time these figures were released, Pizza Pilgrims had 20 trading sites.

The company revealed that the margherita and the double pepperoni and hot honey were the best-selling pizzas in the year under review. In addition to its London locations, Pizza Pilgrims also operates sites in Leeds, Brighton, Nottingham, and Cambridge.

During the pandemic, the company launched its 'Pizza In The Post' initiative, allowing customers to create their own pizzas at home. This has recently been followed by Pizza At Home kits in collaboration with Ocado. Eat-out sales, including Deliveroo, now account for 19% of the company’s income.

Co-founder Thom Elliot said "This year will see four new openings, including our inaugural pizzerias in Scotland and Wales, as we continue to demonstrate that sustainable growth remains an output of running a great business, rather than our sole focus. We continue to love the journey and look forward to bringing our team's legendary Neapolitan hospitality to our growing band of pilgrims in new cities up and down the land."