The chain Pizza Hutone of the most recognized in the world, He said goodbye to Chile after declaring bankruptcybut at the same time he evaluates his return to Argentina, where he had already tried to settle on two previous occasions without success.
The withdrawal of the trans -Andean country occurred in a context where the economic and structural challenges seem to have taken its toll to the Spanish group Food Delivery Brands (FDB)responsible for operating the Pizza Hut and Telepizza brands in Chile. With a bulky debt and an increasingly competitive market, The company chose to retreat and concentrate its operations in Europe.
Paradoxically, while the blind down in the neighboring country, In Argentina the name of Pizza Hut sounds again strongly. Voices of the gastronomic sector ensure that the firm, owned by Yum! BrandsI would be preparing a new commercial incursion, this time with a strategy based on Local franchises and alliances.
Why of bankruptcy in Chile
The news was known in January 2025, when Food Delivery Brands He publicly announced his decision to cease activities in Chile. The company alleged that The “complex economic environment” of the country prevented him from continuing with the operation of its brands, which resulted in the total closure of its premises and in the formal request for liquidation before the courts.
According to the official statement, the decision was taken after having exhausted several instances of salvage. “Despite having made all possible efforts,” They indicated from FDB, the situation was unsustainable. One of the company’s main arguments was the need to Protect workers already affected for the financial crisis.
The figures speak for themselves. In 2021, the losses accumulated in Chile reached 21,000 million Chilean pesos, and the number shot 79,000 million in the last year reported. The advance of new competitors, market diversification with delivery options and post-pandemic habits change They ended up accelerating the fall.
The withdrawal implied the closure 100 stores Between Pizza Hut and Telepizza, and left some 1,400 workers without employment. Some branches, operated under a franchise regime and not directly by FDB, could continue to function, although their continuity is uncertain.
Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut
The third is the defeated: Pizza Hut returns to Argentina
While retiring from Chile, Yum! Brands moved other chips. In parallel to the bankruptcy, he had reached an agreement to recover the rights of use of Telepizza and Jeno’s brands in Chile and Colombia, Opening the way for a broader restructuring in Latin America.
That context explains why, Despite previous stumbling blocks, Pizza Hut prepares to step on Argentine soil. According to sources from the gastronomic sector, the company is evaluating new premises before the end of the year, although specific locations or dates were yet confirmed. What is known is that The chosen model would be franchisewith local partners who know the market well.
It is not the first time that the chain tries. The brand landed for the first time in Argentina in 1983, during an economic opening period that brought with them several international brands. However, The strong pizzera tradition of the country, dominated by more accessible Buenos Aires styles, complicated the panorama. After a second attempt in the nineties, which did not prosper, the company retired again.
Now, in a different political and economic context, The look is put in Argentina again as a place of interest for large brands. The current opening towards foreign investment, driven by the Government, would have generated more attractive conditions for this type of bets. Besides, Yum! Brands already operates in the country with KFC, which allows you to have a logistics and operational structure that would facilitate the return of Pizza Hut.
If the return was completed, Argentina would join the more than 110 countries where Pizza Hut has a presencewith a network of almost 20,000 restaurants globally. An ambitious bet for a chain that, despite its ups and downs in the region, does not seem willing to get off the Latin American map.
Source: Ambito
