Pizza Hut UK collapse: 68 closures, Yum buys 64

DC London Pie, the franchisee running Pizza Hut’s UK dine-in restaurants, was placed into administration by FTI Consulting after citing difficult trading conditions, rising costs and cash‑flow/tax pressures, weeks after HMRC filed a winding‑up petition and less than a year after a previous rescue. Administrators said 68 dine‑in restaurants and 11 delivery‑only sites will close across the country, with Greater Manchester and cities including Brighton, Bristol, Hull, Edinburgh, Leeds and Cardiff among the worst affected, putting about 1,210 staff at risk of redundancy. Yum! Brands completed a pre‑pack acquisition of the remaining dine‑in operation, securing 64 sites and transferring roughly 1,276–1,277 team members to a new Yum! UK business under TUPE protections. Takeaway and delivery franchisees run by other operators are largely unaffected. Administrators said their priorities are maintaining operations at acquired locations and supporting colleagues through the transition, while remaining sites face an uncertain future. Analysts warned the repeat administrations and rising costs underline deeper structural challenges for the UK casual‑dining sector.