Domino’s Pizza won’t be available in Italy from today

• Domino’s Pizza’s remaining locations in Italy have been shutdown.
• Franchisee ePizza SpA was affected by the coronavirus epidemic.
• The Italian company has already begun to reduce its operations from its peak in 2020.

According to reports, Domino’s Pizza’s remaining locations in Italy have been shutdown after the company that ran its outlets in the nation declared bankruptcy.

According to Bloomberg, which broke the news first, franchisee ePizza SpA was affected by the epidemic.

Since its debut in the home of pizza in 2015, Domino’s has failed to gain traction.

Some social media users cheered the fast food giant’s departure from the nation.

EPizza SpA originally declared bankruptcy in early April, citing coronavirus limitations.

“The Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent and prolonged restrictions from a financial point of view have seriously damaged ePizza,” the firm stated.

The firm also said that it was facing more competition as conventional eateries began to use delivery applications.

As part of the bankruptcy procedure, the company was given 90 days of protection from its creditors. However, that protection expired last month.

The Italian company has already begun to reduce its operations from its peak in 2020, with deliveries ceasing at the end of July.

According to the bankruptcy proceedings, the firm directly controlled 23 locations in Italy as of 2020, with another six stores handled via sub-franchising.

In contrast, the United Kingdom and Ireland have over 1,200 Domino’s locations, making it Europe’s largest Domino’s market.

The world’s biggest pizza business has approximately 18,300 shops in over 90 worldwide regions, the majority of which are managed by franchisees.

When Domino’s first arrived in Italy seven years ago, it tried to differentiate itself from the country’s traditional pizza producers by offering a full home delivery service and a menu that included US-style toppings like pineapple.

During the pandemic, however, it faced rising competition as local eateries joined meal delivery services such as Deliveroo and Just Eat.

Some social media users applauded Domino’s decision to leave the birthplace of pizza.

“I’ve always wondered how Domino’s could survive in New Jersey, let alone Italy,” writer Dave Jamieson said on Twitter.

Another Twitter user, Alicia Smith, joked that operating a Domino’s in Italy is akin to attempting to sell snow in the North Pole.

Domino’s Pizza and ePizza SpA did not reply promptly to BBC inquiries for comment.

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