Papa John's, the world's third-largest pizza company with close to 3,000 outlets in 22 countries, is the newest entrant in the US$43 million Indian pizza market, reports The Economic Times.

Over the next 11 years, 100 outlets of the US-based Papa John's pizza chain will open in India . This was announced by the Papa John's International CEO Nigel Travis at the opening of the chain's first Indian store in Noida, an IT hub in Uttar Pradesh on the eastern fringes of Delhi . Five Papa John's stores should become operational in the remaining months of this year.

In a market where Pizza Hut and Domino's have established their presence, Travis said he was confident that the Papa John's USP - 'better ingredients, better pizza' - would help it make its mark. " India is one of our top six priority markets, apart from China, Mexico, Russia, Korea and the UK," said Myles A Felt, Vice-President, International, Papa John's.

The chain's Indian master franchisee, Om Pizza Eats, is a subsidiary of Om Enterprises based in the US. Its CEO, Dan Deva, said that the investment per outlet would be in the range of Rs 80 lakh to Rs 1.4 crore. It can two to three years for a franchisee to break even.

For the complete story, go to http://economictimes.indiatimes.com

( Hyperlink: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1644973.cms )