U.S. pizza chain Little Caesars eyes India expansion with dozens of new stores
June 9 (Reuters) - U.S. pizza chain Little Caesars is planning to open dozens of stores in India over the coming years aiming to capitalise on the country's robust economic growth, an executive told Reuters.
Little Caesars will open its first Indian store in the Delhi NCR region this month.
"India is on a growth trajectory ... We don't want to miss this wave," said Carlos Vidal, vice president of international development at the privately held Little Caesars.
India's economy is projected to grow at 6.5% for fiscal 2026, maintaining its position as the fastest-growing major economy, according to the International Monetary Fund.
Founded in 1959, Little Caesars is the third largest pizza chain in the world, with a presence in more than 29 countries.
The Indian pizza market is fiercely competitive, with established players like Domino's Pizza (DPZ.O), opens new tab and Yum Brands' (YUM.N), opens new tab Pizza Hut, alongside local chains such as La Pino'z and numerous independent shops.
India has proven a challenging market for other major pizza chains. Papa John's (PZZA.O), opens new tab, for instance, exited in 2017 due to fierce competition and operational challenges, though it now plans to re-enter the market in 2025.
A 100 Little Caesars stores in India by decade-end is a realistic target, Vidal said, adding the brand is "thinking about hundreds and eventually thousands of stores over time."
Little Caesars is customizing its menu with vegetarian pizzas to cater to the country's significantly large vegetarian population. It will also introduce flavored crusts—a first for the brand—as plain crusts are often left uneaten by Indian consumers.
In addition to India, Little Caesars plans to also focus on Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and Brazil over the next few years with a view to opening more new stores outside the United States.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
India's Tata Motors to invest up to $4 billion over 5 years for EVs, new cars
June 9 (Reuters) - India's Tata Motors ( opens new tab plans to invest up to 350 billion rupees ($4.1 billion) over the next five years, aiming to cement its position as the country's top electric vehicle maker amid rising competition and a push to adopt clean cars. The maker of the Nexon and Punch sport utility vehicles will nearly double its portfolio from eight models to 15, launch more EVs and compressed natural gas cars as well as enhance the vehicles' technology features, according to its investor day presentation released on Monday. India, the world's third-largest car market, is planning stricter emission norms starting 2027 and wants EVs to form 30% of all car sales by 2030. Tata Motors did not share its investment plan for the current year to March 2026, but said last month the domestic businesses, including commercial vehicles, would have a capital expenditure of about 80 billion rupees. Intense competition in the combustion engine market has allowed rival Mahindra & Mahindra ( opens new tab to overtake Tata. China's MG Motor ( opens new tab has also challenged Tata's EV dominance with the "Windsor" model, outselling its products since late last year. Yet, Tata Motors maintained its target of 16% market share by March 2027, aiming to reach 18%-20% by March 2030. ($1 = 85.6310 Indian rupees)
The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
Lidl is selling a £7.99 BBQ tool that helps you cook crispy pizzas
LIDL is selling a nifty £7.99 BBQ tool that can help you make crispy pizzas. The German discounter is launching the Grillmeister round pizza stone in stores from Thursday (June 12). The stone is placed on BBQs and uses heat from the coals to cook your favourite flavour. Lidl says the stone is moisture-absorbing too making for "extra crispy pizzas". The nifty piece of cooking tech, measuring 38cm across, comes with a three-year warranty. Of course, whenever buying something like this make sure you shop around to ensure you're getting the best deal. Just because Lidl is offering a pizza stone for £7.99 doesn't mean you can't get one cheaper elsewhere. Use websites like Price Spy, Price Runner and Trolley to compare prices on thousands of products across the major retailers. You can do a quicker scan by using the Google Product/Shopping tab as well. We had a look across the major retailers to see if any are selling a similar BBQ pizza stone for less than £7.99 and couldn't find any. The next cheapest is Asda which is selling one for £10, then Tesco which has one in stock for £13.99. If you're keen on Lidl's pizza stone, you won't be able to order it for home delivery as the retailer doesn't offer this service. Five simple ways to save cash at Lidl You'll have to be quick if you want to pick one up in-store as well as it's a middle aisle buy meaning once it's gone it's gone. You can find your nearest Lidl store by visiting If the BBQ pizza stone doesn't take your fancy, Lidl has plenty of other middle aisle products on sale that might. The discounter is selling a £6 foldable backpack that's perfect for summer holidays abroad. How to save money on pizza TAKEAWAY pizzas taste great but they can hit you hard on your wallet. Here are some tips on how to save on pizza: Cashback websites - TopCashback and Quidco will pay you to order your pizza through them. They're paid by retailers for every click that comes to their website from the cashback site, which eventually trickles down to you. So you'll get cashback on orders placed through them. Discount codes - Check sites like VoucherCodes for any discount codes you can use to get money off your order. Make you own topping - One savvy customer noticed that Domino's charges up to 70p MORE for pizzas on its menu compared to ordering the same one through the "create your own" option. It's worth trying out to see if it makes a difference before you place your next order. Buy it from the shops - It might not taste exactly the same but you'll save the most money by picking up your favourite pizza from your local supermarket. Some Asda stores sell freshly made ones from the pizza counter where prices start at £2. The retailer's sell-out pizza oven is back in shops for £79.99 too. How to save money at Lidl Lidl reduces items at the start of the day, and the best deals can be found between 7am and 8am, when most stores open. Shoppers can often find cooked meats, salmon fillets and breads reduced by 30% or more. Lidl also has its own knock-offs of branded alcohol offering some bargain prices. If you are hoping to avoid spending more than you planned on Middle of Lidl items, you can check what will be in the "Middle of Lidl" on the supermarket's website in advance too. The Middle of Lidl is refreshed every Thursday and Sunday. Shoppers can also keep tabs on what's appearing in the "Pick of the Week" section on the Lidl website. The discounts happen every Thursday and are usually on fruit, vegetables, and meat.
Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
EV maker VinFast's Q1 loss widens on higher spending as deliveries rise
June 9 (Reuters) - Vietnamese electric vehicle maker VinFast (VFS.O), opens new tab reported on Monday its sixth consecutive quarterly net loss as it continues to ramp up spending to boost sales volumes. VinFast reported a net loss of $712.4 million for the first quarter, less than the $1.3 billion loss in the previous quarter but 20% more than a year earlier. Analysts' average forecast was for a $616.3 million loss, according to LSEG data. Revenue jumped 150% to $656.5 million in January-March, compared with analysts' average estimate of $520 million. Deliveries leapt nearly 300% to 36,330 vehicles in the quarter, mainly driven by sales in Vietnam, its biggest market. VinFast shares were up 10.53% in pre-market trade. Backed by Vietnam's largest conglomerate, Vingroup ( opens new tab, VinFast continues to face challenges due to weak consumer demand, stiff competition, and a 25% tariff the U.S. has imposed on imported vehicles. VinFast previously identified the U.S. as a key growth market. The company reported a gross margin of minus 35.2% in the quarter, compared with minus 58.7% a year earlier. The firm is intensifying promotional efforts domestically, shifting to a dealership model from the costlier option of its own showrooms, and redirecting its focus to Asia, with its new assembly plant in India set to begin operations in July. Research and development expenses fell 22.3% year on year in the quarter, while the cost of sales more than doubled over the same period, it said. VinFast, which has reported a loss every quarter since it went public in August 2023, has received around $2 billion in financial support from its founder and CEO Pham Nhat Vuong and Vingroup, as of May. VinFast's affordable, small VF 3 and VF 5 models were its best-selling vehicles, accounting for 68% of its domestic deliveries, chair Thuy Le said on an earnings call. The company is also looking to expand in the bus market. "We are exploring opportunities in Asia and Europe with plans to offer electric buses in 6, 8, 10, and 12 meter sizes," Le said. "We set up in Indonesia and Europe already and very soon in the Middle East and the U.S.," Le said, noting that VinFast already delivered buses in big volumes in Vietnam. The company said it would introduce its next-generation platform and an electrical architecture with the Limo Green model in the third quarter. This will underpin existing EV models next year. "While its VF3 subcompact SUV is driving volumes, the company is still losing money on every car it sells," research firm Third Bridge noted in a pre-earnings report. "The bill of materials is estimated to be significantly higher than those of Tesla and BYD, partly because VinFast lacks scale and still pays a premium to suppliers who are wary of its short track record," it said.
