Pizza-BOX ceases operations in HK after 23 years

Hong Kong-based pizza chain Pizza-BOX has shut its last remaining store, marking the end of its 23 years of operations in the city. The Pizza-BOX website has ceased operations, MARKETING-INTERACTIVE confirmed. 

This comes as a netizen reported on Threads on Tuesday (27 January) that the last outlet in Kwun Tong had not opened. The chain's website is offline, and calls to its customer service line have gone unanswered. 

The related post has garnered numerous reactions on Threads, with over 120,000 views. Many netizens expressed their sense of loss, recalling how they had been eating Pizza-BOX pizzas since childhood. Some said they had wanted to buy from the store but found the website suspended. 

Meanwhile, some speculated that the situation may have arisen from the chain's decision to follow other restaurants in charging delivery fees, without recognising its reliance on delivery for sales.

A garage owner near the Pizza-BOX Kwun Tong store told HK01 that the branch had been closed since 22 January, with a shutdown notice posted at the site. Another electronics store owner nearby stated that the store's business and foot traffic were poor and mentioned an employee who claimed to have been owed over three months' salary, according to the report.

According to the report, the Labour Department (LD) has received a request for assistance from an employee claiming to have not been paid for over three months. The LD has reached out to the management of the chain, urging Pizza-BOX to resolve all employment-related issues promptly and advising affected staff owed wages or other entitlements to seek official support without delay.

Back in November last year, some netizens discovered that one of the two remaining Pizza-BOX stores in Fo Tan had closed. This news evoked a sense of loss among many, as some believed the store had been around for at least 25 years. Others speculated that the pricing of Pizza-BOX pizzas was similar to that of Pizza Hut, with few special offers, which may have impacted its competitiveness.

Initially launched in the 1980s as Domino’s Pizza, Pizza-BOX rebranded in 2003 after ending its franchise agreement. At its peak, the chain operated 14 outlets across Hong Kong.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to Pizza-BOX for a statement.

Don't miss: Mom's Dry Noodles suspends HK operations amid market exit rumours

In fact, Hong Kong's retail scene has been struggling, with a number of shops closing in recent years. Recently, Taiwanese noodle brand Mom’s Dry Noodles (老媽拌麵) has abruptly suspended operations in Hong Kong, raising concerns about a potential market exit.

This came as several netizens recently reported on Threads that the brand’s North Point branch was marked “under renovation". A search on local dining platform OpenRice revealed that all remaining outlets in Hong Kong are also listed with the same status, prompting speculation about a full-scale shutdown.

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