UK Pizza Hut To Raise Funds After Budget Tax Hikes

The operator of Pizza Hut restaurants in the UK, Heart With Smart (HWS), plans to raise over £10 million to address rising costs following tax increases announced in last month's UK budget, Ben King and Zahra Fatima reported for BBC News.

HWS, which operates all 140 UK dine-in Pizza Hut restaurants, plans to invest the funds in new technology, including touch-screen ordering kiosks and contactless table ordering. I Photo: Pizza Hut

The funding could be secured through a partial sale of the business or additional investment from existing shareholders.

This move comes as businesses across the UK face mounting pressure from higher employer national insurance contributions and an increase in the National Living Wage (NLW).

Many business owners have warned that these measures will significantly raise costs, particularly for companies employing a large number of low-wage workers.

HWS, which operates all 140 UK dine-in Pizza Hut restaurants, plans to invest the funds in new technology, including touch-screen ordering kiosks and contactless table ordering.

These features aim to cut operating costs by reducing staffing needs and are already being tested successfully in select Pizza Hut outlets. While the new technology may result in fewer staff being required, the company does not anticipate implementing a large-scale redundancy program, according to an insider.