Franco Manca pizzas debut across UK supermarkets
Franco Manca pizzas will now be available to buy in supermarkets across the UK, allowing Brits to take home and cook their favourite dishes from the sourdough specialist.
The pizzas will hit the shelves in over 500 supermarkets across the UK from this week.
Parent company Fulham Shore has launched a debut range of five premium cook-at-home pizzas in the Franco Manca Chef’s Selection range.
The range has been developed through a licensing partnership with the fine Italian food business Rondanin, and was created by Franco Manca’s executive chef Alfonso Marseglia.
The group will be able to expand its pizza range into more stores over the coming year, and partner with further grocery retailers from late 2023.
Fulham Shore is the operator of Franco Manca and other popular restaurant brands such as The Real Greek.
The company’s executive chairman, David Page, said: “This is a very exciting new strategic development for Franco Manca and Fulham Shore, which complements the appeal and success of our consistently busy and growing portfolio of restaurants, and we are looking forward to seeing it develop.”
Franco Manca group posts bullish trading update
Fulham Shore also revealed trading is in line with management expectations, despite “challenging political and macroeconomic circumstances,” in a reference to soaring inflation, skyrocketing interest rates and Downing Street upheaval.
It argues this was “presenting trading conditions that are more unstable and unpredictable than at any time in recent memory.”
The group revealed it is reviewing on an ongoing basis its opening target for the 2024 financial year based on the ever-evolving economic and political outlook.
The company warned the rising costs has created a lack of transparency in its forecasts for short term trading.
Nevertheless, it calculates group revenues for the period grew 35 per cent when compared with the same period in 2019 prior to the onset of Covid-19, and some 25 per cent ahead when compared with the same period to September 2021.
Its net cash position has been confirmed at over £2.6m, while the group has undrawn bank facilities of £16.9m, providing substantial financial headroom of around £20m.
Fulham Shore plans to publish its Interim Results and an update on trading in December 2022.
Page said: “We’re delighted that underpinned by the relevance of our Franco Manca and The Real Greek brands and their value-for-money propositions, both our established and new restaurants performed well during the first half of the group’s financial year. “
Since its last trading update in August, Fulham Shore has opened four Franco Manca pizzeria in Lincoln, Hove, Chichester and Cardiff, and two The Real Greek restaurants in Gloucester Quays and Solihull.
The first The Real Greek in Scotland, located in the successful new shopping scheme St James Quarter, Edinburgh, is also being fitted out ready for a December opening.
Overall, it plans to open around 18 restaurants during the 12 months to March 2023.