Hundreds of people gathered outside 317 Abbey Hills Road in Oldham on Saturday (29 August) for the opening of the latest branch of the Boss Pizza franchise.
The queues were long despite the wet weather. A DJ and dancers were present to entertain the crowds.
Ajmal Mushtaq, chief executive of Boss Pizza, said: “We are delighted to have opened this shop in Oldham. The opening has been phenomenal.
“Well over 500 people have turned up throughout the day. The queues started at 8am.”
Mushtaq said they had given out £500 worth of toys and £500 worth of cash. They also gave away hundreds of pounds of gift vouchers and were selling pizzas for £2. He added that “it’s all about pumping good will into the community.”
He said a franchise costs between £100,000 to £150,000 depending on the size and condition of the location.
“Every single launch that Boss Pizza hosts is amazing. Hundreds of people turn up for Boss Pizza parties which are really good fun.”
He added that the shop had been caught in a planning loop that was difficult to get out of, but they were finally able to open after the launch was delayed for three years.
Boss Pizza has branches in Glasgow, Derby, Nottingham, Milton Keynes, Clydebank and Hemel Hempstead among others.
“I’m delighted at the turnout. Oldham has turned up to support us even though it’s raining heavily,” Mushtaq said. “I say to the people of Oldham, thank you very much. We cannot wait to be part of the local food scene.
“Boss Pizza is a brand for everyone, it is halal, fresh and prices are reasonable, but overall, it is designed to appeal to the mass market.”
The Oldham branch is the tenth franchise in the UK. Mushtaq said each branch employs about 13 employees per shop on average.
“We have a really good team, and we expect this shop to be very busy,” Mushtaq said. “I’ve been in the restaurant and hospitality industry my whole life apart from 10 years when I worked in London as a management consultant.”
Tracy Devine, who waited for an hour outside the takeaway, said: “It’s been a brilliant day, I queued up for my partner as I don’t normally do cheese, so I got a flaming chicken pizza and took it home.
“My partner said, ‘try some,’ as I haven’t had cheese or pizza for 50 years, I was surprised as it was lovely. I will be coming back.
“I liked the chicken and the spices on the pizza. I heard about the Boss Pizza launch on Facebook.”
Renata, who is a member of staff at the franchise’s head office, added: “I do all the video content for Boss Pizza. We are a brand that is new and upcoming. It’s very exciting to be launching all over the UK.
“We were not expecting this many people to turn up. We had an idea, but we didn’t expect half of Oldham to turn up.”
andrew maufe
It sounds like they had a grand opening despite the weather. Great to have a top quality local pizza maker 😋