Adrien Ellul outside San Marzano, the PizzaExpress chain’s first Hong Kong restaurant opened as a launch pad to the region

A year after the restaurant's opening by the escalator in Soho, one of the famed dining and entertainment districts on Hong Kong Island, director and general manager of PizzaExpress (Hong Kong) Limited Adrien Ellul is planning an aggressive expansion.

Reporting better than expected business results, Mr Ellul foreshadows five San Marzano restaurants in Hong Kong within five years, and also to have entered the Chinese mainland market in that timeframe.

All will be operated under the PizzaExpress brand, which has 330 restaurants in the UK and another 42 restaurants in 13 countries.

Mr Ellul said Hong Kong's cosmopolitan base and busy lifestyle convinced the international chain that the SAR was the right place to launch its restaurant network in the region.

"It was always intended that Hong Kong would be our entrepot for China because we see that Hong Kong has great potential. Entering the mainland will be a natural progression.

"Our Hong Kong experience will be 100 per cent beneficial for us. It will enable the company to be operational in the region, and is a time to test the Chinese palettes and see what they would like."

He said that Hong Kong people "are always willing to try new things", adding that they also appreciate quality brands. "They like the fact that you can walk into San Marzano in Hong Kong and get exactly the same pizza you would in London."

"Hong Kong is a cosmopolitan city and a popular place for visitors from Europe," Mr Ellul continued. "Tourists don't just come here from Asia, they come from all over the world. Hong Kong is always regarded as being a fun, vibrant and exciting city."

On setting up a business in Hong Kong, Mr Ellul commented: "In Hong Kong you can get things done faster than anywhere else in the world. It is amazing what we were able to achieve in a short time. We found all possible professional consultants readily on hand, and the people are willing to work hard. Coming from Malta, where there's a tendency to leave things till tomorrow, I was very impressed by the strong work ethic."

So how big is the China pie for PizzaExpress? "If you consider that they've managed to open over 350 restaurants in the UK alone, once the chain is established in China you can leave it to the imagination," Mr Ellul said.

Related link:
PizzaExpress www.pizzaexpress.co.uk