34% increase in online sales serves up record results for pizza chain

Despite a challenging year, in which a number of stores had to temporarily shut their doors due to Covid-19, the Irish-owned pizza chain today announced a total year-on-year sales increase of 6%.

This represents FSP’s best annual performance since it was founded in 1986 and was driven largely by a huge jump of 34% in online orders made via the company’s own website and app. Online orders now account for almost 65 per cent of all sales.

Four Star Pizza’s ‘Rewards’ loyalty programme also played a significant role in driving sales with a massive 57% redemption rate in loyalty points across its extensive 215,000 membership.

2020 also saw the opening of two new FSP stores and six new Bun Bros outlets (Four Star’s sister burger chain) with 90 new jobs created as part of a total investment of approximately €500,000.

“There’s no doubt that it’s been a roller coaster year for all concerned and those early months were extremely difficult,” said Four Star Pizza Director Brian Clarke, “but we’re very thankful that we were able to turn things around and finish the year so strongly, when many others have sadly not been so fortunate.

“Credit must go to all of our store owners and staff who have invested a lot of time and money and worked so hard in very difficult circumstances to ensure our pizzas could be freshly and safely made in-store whilst adhering to the required social distancing measures, and delivered contact-free to customers,” he added.

Four Star Pizza operates 59 stores across the island of Ireland, including 15 in Northern Ireland.

The first Four Star Pizza store in Ireland opened in Crumlin, Dublin, in 1986. Now the company employs more than 1,000 people on the island of Ireland, with locations across Dublin, Cork, Galway, Kerry, Wicklow, Donegal, Clare, Kildare, Kilkenny, Limerick, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Waterford, Westmeath and Wexford.

In Northern Ireland, the company opened its first store in Belfast in 1999 and other locations now include Bangor, Dundonald Carrickfergus, Newry, Drumahoe, Derry, Armagh, Newtownabbey, Coleraine, Lisburn and Craigavon.

Last year, the company sold approximately five million pizzas.

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