Pizza express have confirmed today that the Andover restaurant will remain open as it closes 15 per cent of its outlets.

Andover’s Pizza Express restaurant on High Street will stay open as the chain announces 73 closures of its UK restaurants.

These closures have impacted 1,100 members of staff as the chain goes under a major restructuring plan.

Pizza Express are the latest Italian restaurant chain to confirm closures just weeks after ASK Italian and Zizzi’s confirmed it will close 75 branches.

The Italian American chain Frankie and Benny’s also announced the closure of 120 branches in June.

The UK and Ireland managing director of Pizza Express Zoe Bowley said the impact of the coronavirus pandemic led to some “incredibly tough decisions to safeguard pizza express for the long term”.

She added: “Today we have confirmed that 73 of our pizzerias are proposed to close permanently.

“In most cases there is another pizza express nearby, either already open or reopening soon, to welcome our customers.”

Zoe added that the company’s focus is on the people whose jobs have been impacted and that the company are doing everything they can to redeploy them or support them in finding roles elsewhere.

“Hard as this process is, it will protect the jobs of over 9000 of our colleagues and provide a strong footing for Pizza Express to meet future challenges and opportunities.”

The following restaurants have been earmarked for closure:

  • Aberdeen, Belmont St
  • Aylesbury
  • Barnstaple, Three Tuns
  • Biggleswade
  • Billericay
  • Birmingham, Corporation St
  • Birmingham, Mailbox
  • Bournemouth, Post Office Rd
  • Bramhall
  • Bristol, Berkeley Sq
  • Bristol, Regent St
  • Bromsgrove
  • Bruton Place
  • Charlotte St
  • Chippenham
  • Dalton Park
  • Darlington
  • Dudley, Merry Hill
  • Earls Court, Earls Ct Rd
  • Edinburgh, Holyrood
  • Formby
  • Fulham Palace Road
  • Glasgow, Princes Square
  • Glossop
  • Gosforth
  • Grantham
  • Halifax
  • Hampstead
  • Hatch End
  • Hereford
  • Heswall
  • Ipswich, Lloyds Ave
  • Leeds, Crown St
  • Leeds, Horsforth
  • Ludlow
  • Lymington
  • Melton Mowbray
  • Midhurst
  • Milton Keynes, Hub
  • Moseley
  • New Brighton
  • Newcastle
  • Newport, Isle of Wight
  • Newport, South Wales
  • Northallerton
  • Nottingham, Goosegate
  • O2 Finchley
  • Orpington
  • Oxford, Oxford Castle
  • Poole
  • Port Solent
  • Ramsgate
  • Reading, St Mary’s Butts
  • Scarborough
  • Sheffield, Devonshire St
  • Sheffield The Moor
  • Shirley
  • Southport, Old Bank
  • Stafford
  • Staines
  • Stoke
  • Stourbridge
  • Sudbury
  • Torquay
  • Uxbridge
  • Wakefield
  • Walsall
  • Wapping
  • Wardour St
  • Weston-super-Mare
  • Whiteley Village
  • Whitstable
  • Wrexham