Papa Johns 'difficult decision' to shut 43 restaurants including four in Merseyside

Papa Johns has confirmed the locations of 43 UK restaurants it will shut within the next two months.

The takeaway business confirmed it had made the "difficult decision" to close "underperforming" locations after launching a review at the start of the year. It will close the restaurants by mid-May following a consultation process, Papa Johns International said.

The company has not confirmed how many staff will be impacted by closures. Within the 43 restaurants are four in Merseyside: Bebington, West Derby Road, St Helens and Southport. Runcorn, in Halton, will also be shut.

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Chris Phylactou, managing director at Papa Johns UK, said: "Our priority is our team members, who will be fully supported throughout this process. Our goal is to work with impacted team members and attempt to find redeployment opportunities where available.

"We understand the impact this will have on our team members and are committed to supporting them during this time." Papa Johns said it plans to increase investment in research and technology, such as better utilising customer data, as part of its UK strategy.

It also said it will look at the development of new types of sites beyond traditional restaurants, such as expanding into holiday parks, and is set to "announce other large retail partners in the coming months".

Chris Phylactou added: "While this is a difficult decision, closing these underperforming locations will give us the opportunity to invest back into the right locations with the right partners for long-term growth.

"We are focused on driving shared profitable growth across our UK restaurants, by continuing