Pizza 1889

About Pizza 1889

Pizza1889 - an Italian Street pizza concept taking its name from the year the Margherita pizza was invented and which operates out of shipping containers - was founded in 2014 by husband-and-wife team Daniel and Lynda Southwell. It launched a franchise programme in May 2024 and said it is aiming for up to two further sites in 2024, and five a year thereafter.

This after it opened its fourth site - at Templars Shopping Park in Oxford, which has since closed. It also operates sites in Bristol, Cambridge and London’s Surrey Quays. It has partnered with the Paolo Peretti Group (PPG), led by Paolo Peretti, a former retail managing director for Patisserie Valerie, to lead its growth plans.

“We’re looking to take it slowly and get one or two more sites open this year, perhaps five a year thereafter - we’re not in a massive rush,” Peretti told Propel. “Being a shipping container, the unusual concept has a fair bit of mileage with location opportunities. It can go anywhere from retail parks and shopping centres to petrol station forecourts or airports. Franchising with Pizza 1889 is very different as you are in effect purchasing an asset, and if your initial location isn’t working for you, you can ‘lift and shift’ it somewhere else. You are essentially buying a ‘plug and play’ fully fitted turnkey operation - ready to open on arrival.

“We’ll help you find a lease, and you have the flexibility to move location if necessary. We’re looking at anything from Central London, outside of London and going up to the Midlands. The concept offers a simple menu with fresh, traditional Neapolitan-style pizza, handmade entirely onsite and cooked by fully trained staff through a simplified training program that recreates traditional techniques using fresh ingredients.

“With a state-of-the-art six-foot stone oven as its showpiece, the small 40-foot store has instore seating capacity, offering a really fantastic proposition for pizza enthusiasts.”

In October 2025, Pizza 1889 said it will open a second Bristol site and launch a new in-line format. The company will open its fourth site at an as yet unnamed pub in Bristol. Peretti said: “Pizza 1889 is taking the next step with some exciting new ventures. First up, Pizza 1889 will be working with a fantastic pub in central Bristol, where its beer garden will host one of its shipping container units.

Alongside this, Pizza 1889 has developed a new in-line concept. Pizza 1889 has reimagined the original container design into a format that works seamlessly within a building - all while keeping the same brand values, look and, most importantly, its authentic cooking experience.”

In May 2026, Pizza 1889 came under the banner of new multi-brand franchise group PBV, led by Paolo Peretti. Peretti said: “Our target is to have 30 franchise sites across multiple brands within the next five years, and we believe we have a clear, structured roadmap to get there.”

Why franchise with Pizza 1889

• ✓Pizza 1889 expects a minimum turnover of £275,000 from an entry point franchisee in the first year of trading, with an average of 50,000 pizzas expected to be sold each year. A £12,500 franchise fee covers full training and set up but is exclusive of royalty fees and legal set up costs. The cost to build and own the shipping container asset depends on unit specification, landscaping and outside area but should be between £100,000-£130,000.
• ✓There will be three months of training and support to get franchisees fully operational. Franchisees will get a turnkey operation delivered as a concept in a box; an affordable entry point and owned asset at the end of the franchise agreement; a financially viable operational model; an optimised menu across the delivery channels; a launch and sales strategy with targets including ideal revenue with margins; a resilient, fully integrated tech stack that delivers a cashless, centrally controlled digital platform with real time sales management and reporting, inventory ordering and management; full training into H&S, purchasing, labour costs, training, and accounting; a P&L template and cashflow forecast that adapts to an economies of scale template for cost efficiencies, and operational optimisation; a resilient and stable staffing model incorporating training, staff retention and optimal performance; plus marketing support and sales techniques.
• ✓“We are a proven concept that energises any small space, with a unique, vibrant and affordable business model that returns a profit to its owner following the models' criteria,” the company said. “Our pizza is made fresh on site every day – from the dough to the tomato sauce by fully trained pizza maestros who learn to cook an Italian street pizza fully within six weeks. Our shipping container units energise the environments they inhabit offering innovative, branded and vibrant solutions to optimise outdoor space. The business opportunity is achievable to a franchisee at a mere fraction of the investment required for an in-line hospitality venue.
• ✓“The cost includes the purchase of the shipping container restaurant asset – which is owned fully at the end of the term. Unlike a traditional restaurant franchise purchase – where everything is left behind, the unit can be upcycled, rebranded, reused or sold. Our model an affordable entry point to owning a business with ROI of two to three years based on current turnover model and profitability.”