Papa Johns UK appoints Vish Talreja as property director to drive expansion

Papa Johns UK has appointed Vish Talreja as director,  property and development.

Reporting to Grant Read, Papa Johns managing director UK & Europe, he will be responsible for the acquisition and development of new restaurant sites and distribution facilities, as well as the optimisation of the existing estate,

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His remit will also include building Papa Johns’ property pipeline as it looks to grow from its current 450+ restaurants across the UK.

Talreja previously spent eight years as property director at Itsu, where he helped to transform the brand’s estate strategy from a London-centric footprint to national UK expansion.

He also played a key role in supporting the Five Guys leadership team in winning the tender for Five Guys UK’s first airport site at Heathrow Terminal 5. His career has also included QSR roles at Yum Brands (KFC), Kout Food Group (KFC and Costa), Queensway (Starbucks UK franchisee), and YO! Sushi.

Read said: “Vish brings exactly the blend of strategic property expertise and commercial insight we need as we build on the momentum of the last year. His track record of transforming estate strategy at a national level speaks for itself, and we are excited to have him on board as we look to the next phase of growth.”

Talreja said: “Papa Johns is at a genuinely exciting point, and I am looking forward to working with Grant and the team to build & deliver a property strategy that supports the business’s growth ambitions across the UK. There’s real headroom in this market, and I’m excited to get started.”