The brand, which is the UK’s fastest growing pizza franchise, having opened more than 100 new stores nationwide in the past three years, has opened a concession inside convenience store Welcome Rickmansworth.
The convenience store is already home to a Subway concession and is run by Dilan Patel, who operates 10 Welcome stores in partnership with Southern Co-op across the South of England, alongside a portfolio of Fireaway businesses.
“Rickmansworth felt like the perfect place to launch this new concept,” Patel says. “This town has a real personal significance for me. Welcome Rickmansworth was my very first Welcome store. I also live locally and our headquarters are based here, so it felt like the natural place to bring the two brands together for the first time.
“Introducing Fireaway into the store is an exciting next step and a great opportunity to combine two businesses I know extremely well in a fresh and innovative way.
“We believe it’s a great fit alongside the convenience store experience, giving customers even more choice under one roof.”
Fireaway Pizza operates 160 restaurants in the UK, many under a franchise model. “The launch of Fireaway Rickmansworth is particularly exciting because it represents a completely new format for the brand,” adds Anis Hadji, managing director at Fireaway.
“Dilan has an enormous amount of experience across both convenience retail and Fireaway, making him the ideal partner to bring this concept to life.
“By combining an established local convenience store with freshly made, fast-fired Fireaway pizza, we have an opportunity to reach customers in a new way while maintaining the quality and experience people expect from the brand.
“We’re excited to see how the Rickmansworth community responds and what this could mean for Fireaway’s future growth.”