Telepizza

{{Short description|Spanish pizza restaurant chain}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2021}}

{{Infobox company

| name = Telepizza Group S.A.

| logo = Logo telepizza.svg

| logo_size = 200px

| caption =

| trade_name = Telepizza

| native_name =

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| type = Sociedad Anónima

| traded_as = {{BMAD|ES0105128005|TPZ}}

| industry = Restaurant

| genre =

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| foundation = Madrid, Vigo ({{start date and age|1987}})

| founder = Leopoldo Fernández Pujals

| defunct =

| location_city = Madrid

| location_country = Spain

| locations =

| area_served = Nationwide

| key_people = Pedro Ballvé

| products = Pizza, salads, other food products

| production =

| services =

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| homepage = {{URL|https://www.telepizza.es}}

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}}

File:Stągiewna Gdańsk Telepizza.jpg

Telepizza ({{IPA|es|teleˈpitsa|-|}}) is a Spanish multinational pizza restaurant chain. As of 2017 it is the largest pizza chain not originating in North America by number of stores.{{Cite web|date=2017-07-01|title=Telepizza aterriza en Irán|url=https://www.expansion.com/empresas/distribucion/2017/07/01/5957776146163f673f8b4581.html|access-date=2021-11-18|website=Expansión.com|language=es}}

Telepizza was founded as "Pizza Phone" in 1987{{Cite web|date=2016-04-26|title=Telepizza, la cadena de 1.300 puntos de venta que nació en un local de barrio de Madrid|url=https://www.abc.es/economia/abci-telepizza-cadena-1300-puntos-venta-nacio-local-barrio-madrid-201604262128_noticia.html|access-date=2021-11-18|website=abc|language=es}} by Leopoldo Fernández Pujals, a Cuban-born American businessman, in Madrid's El Pilar neighbourhood. By 1995 it had 200 locations in Spain with a 52% market share.

The company had factories in the Spanish cities of Guadalajara, Barcelona, Móstoles, and Alcobendas, but those were later sold and all production was moved to a factory in Daganzo de Arriba, Madrid.{{citation needed|date=November 2021}} The pizza base is distributed from the factories to the different stores.

Leopoldo Fernández was forced to pawn his house, take out loans, and even endure a October 1995 "board coup" orchestrated by his brother Eduardo and other minority shareholders, which led to his removal as chairman.{{cite web |url= http://www.invertia.com/noticias/articulo-final.asp?idNoticia=31183 |title= invertia |access-date=July 24, 2014 }} By late June 1996, he returned to lead Telepizza with the backing of BBVA, then the company’s third-largest shareholder.

On November 13, 1996, the company went public, becoming the first in its sector to list on the Spanish stock exchange. At the time, Telepizza was the leader in home-delivered pizza, with 233 outlets in Spain and a presence in Andorra, Portugal, Poland, Cuba, Chile, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Morocco, and Iran.{{cite news|title=Telepizza lands in Iran and plans to open 10 stores before the end of 2017|url=http://www.elmundo.es/economia/2016/11/30/583eca3be2704e12668b4571.html|access-date=October 8, 2017|newspaper=El Mundo|language=es}}

Throughout 1999, Leopoldo Fernández gradually sold his stake in the company, triggering a cumulative 44.64% decline in shares. On October 22, he sold his remaining 30.25% stake (over 10 million shares) off-market at a 15% discount, pocketing 50 billion pesetas. Hours earlier, trading was suspended by the National Securities Market Commission (CNMV) due to a leaked announcement.

Control of the company shifted to Pedro Ballvé (Campofrío Food Group) and José Carlos Olcese (TeleChef, itself controlled by Campofrío). Pujals justified his abrupt departure by stating: “To dedicate himself fully to the cause of defending Human Rights and to ensure that this activity would never negatively impact Telepizza.”

As of 2010, Telepizza has 1025 outlets worldwide; thereof 603 stores in Spain and 422 in markets such as Portugal, the United Kingdom,{{cite web|url=http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/news/west-london-news/telepizza-opens-first-uk-store-12856851|title=Telepizza launches first food outlet in the UK in Hounslow|first=Salina|last=Patel|date=7 April 2017|website=Getwestlondon|access-date=8 January 2019}} Peru, Chile, Poland, Russia, Central America, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Iran.{{cite web|last=Telepizza|title=Telepizza Celebrates the Opening of its First Store in Iran|url=https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/telepizza-celebrates-the-opening-of-its-first-store-in-iran-631502133.html|access-date=8 January 2019|website=Newswire.ca}}

In 2010, Telepizza bought the Colombian chain Jeno's Pizza.Loeda, Roberto C. (1 June 2010). [http://www.alimarket.es/noticia/36619/Telepizza-entra-en-Colombia-con-la-adquisicion-de-Jeno-s-Pizza Telepizza entra en Colombia con la adquisición de Jeno's Pizza] Alimarket

In April 2016, Telepizza completed an IPO reported to be valued at euro 550 million.{{cite news|title=PE-backed Telepizza completes €550m IPO|url=https://www.altassets.net/private-equity-news/by-news-type/deal-news/pe-backed-telepizza-completes-e550m-ipo.html|publisher=AltAssets|date=27 April 2016}} Prior to its IPO, the company was owned by the founding Ballvé family and private equity fund Permira.

In 2017, it opened its first establishment in the United Kingdom.{{Cite web |date=2016-05-19 |title=Telepizza aterriza en Reino Unido de la mano de Karali para abrir 80 tiendas en los próximos diez años |url=https://www.europapress.es/economia/noticia-telepizza-aterriza-reino-unido-mano-karali-abrir-80-tiendas-proximos-diez-anos-20160519135810.html |access-date=2022-04-29 |publisher=Europa Press}} In July 2017, the company opened its first store in Iran and with projections to open two more in December of the same year, it was the first store opened in South Asia and the second in the Middle East.{{Cite web |last=lainformacion.com |date=2017-07-01 |title=Telepizza inaugura su primera tienda en Irán y abrirá otras seis más allí este año |url=https://www.lainformacion.com/economia-negocios-y-finanzas/telepizza-inaugura-primera-tienda-iran_0_1040596289.html |access-date=2022-04-29 |website=La Información |language=es}}{{Cite web |date=2017-10-23 |title=Así han cambiado las tiendas de Telepizza en 30 años |url=https://brands.elconfidencial.com/empresas/2017-10-23/telepizza-aniversario-tiendas_1462774/ |access-date=2022-04-29 |website=El Confidencial |language=es}} Since November 2017, Telepizza opened its two stores in Paraguay.{{Cite web |title=Telepizza France |url=http://www.telepizza.com.py/ |access-date=2022-04-29 |website=www.telepizza.com.py |language=fr |archive-date=2 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171202052600/http://www.telepizza.com.py/ |url-status=dead }}{{Cite web |title=La Nación / Grupo español anunció su desembarco en Paraguay |url=https://www.lanacion.com.py/negocios_edicion_impresa/2017/03/25/grupo-espanol-anuncio-su-desembarco-en-paraguay/ |access-date=2022-04-29 |website=www.lanacion.com.py |language=es}}

In 2023, Telepizza decided not to renew the Master Franchise contract with Pollo Campero in Guatemala and El Salvador, and the operations began to run under the name Pizza Campero. A similar situation occurred in Bolivia, where Telepizza's operations in that country were rebranded as Tpizza.{{Cite web |date=2023-01-07 |title=Pizza Campero: el sabor campero ahora llevado al mundo de la pizza |url=https://newsinamerica.com/pdcc/noticias/gerenciales/2023/pizza-campero-el-sabor-campero-ahora-llevado-al-mundo-de-la-pizza/ |access-date=2024-08-26 |website=Periódico Digital Centroamericano y del Caribe |language=es}}

In January 2025, Telepizza announced the closure of its operations in Chile after 29 years in the country. This was due to economic, competitive and financial reasons that hindered its projection as a pizza chain throughout the territory.{{Cite web |date=2025-01-15 |title=Food Delivery Brands anuncia el cierre de Telepizza y Pizza Hut en Chile|url=https://www.latercera.com/pulso/noticia/food-delivery-brands-anuncia-el-cierre-de-telepizza-y-pizza-hut-en-chile/IHMSZ5THTFEUTJVUZ7J7TYZDCM/# |access-date=2025-01-17 |website=La Tercera|language=es}}