This is the tale about Mario who started in Mitcham, travelled to Milan, and now has his sights set firmly on global recognition.
It’s been a tremendous start to life for the pizza company Fireaway which, in five short years, has grown well beyond expectations. Since launching in south London in 2016, Fireaway has opened 60 outlets across the country and is now one of the fastest developing franchises in the UK.
They are expecting to add another 60 to their UK network by the end of 2021, with 25 new branches set to open over the next six months. A further 20 franchise agreements have been signed, and whose owners are currently searching for premises.
Fireaway boss Mario Aleppo is keen to emulate the success of Domino‘s and Pizza Hut who are both global giants in the competitive fast food sector. And such dreams are already taking shape, with master franchises awarded to business owners in Bangladesh, Canada, France, Germany, India, Netherlands and Pakistan.
Mario, founder and chief executive of Fireaway, opened the first branch in Mitcham, and is delighted with the company’s spectacular progress. He said: “Our pizzas went down very well with our customers right from the start. Within a few weeks one of my regulars asked if he could become a franchisee and within six months he’d opened a branch in Streatham.
“Not long after that we opened our own second branch in Thornton Heath. From then on we attracted other franchisees through word of mouth. It started with a new franchise opening every six months.
“A year later it was every three months, and then one month. It’s now roughly one a week. During the second half of last year, despite all the challenges brought about by the Coronavirus pandemic, we opened 20 new branches in 20 weeks.”
Mario is keen to have multiple branches in every UK city, and fully believes that global expansion will be just as quick: “We’re taking this very seriously indeed and I have appointed my two younger brothers to spearhead our efforts overseas. Luca will manage our German operation, while Fabio oversees the Netherlands.”
As for Mario, he left school at 16 and undertook a series of jobs and college courses before opening the first Fireaway outlet a decade later. He admitted: “Initially, I thought of taking on a Subway franchise but changed my mind and decided to do my own thing. I was certainly impressed by Subway‘s methods, so incorporated some of their processes into Fireaway.
“It means that pizza lovers can choose from four different bases, four different cheeses, four meats and 20 toppings. And the price doesn’t alter regardless of which combination is selected. I also realised that customers don’t want to hang around to wait for an order, so I installed super-hot ovens which can cook a pizza in less than three minutes.
“But perhaps the best thing I did was travel to Italy to negotiate with farmers near Naples, as well as the owners of flour mills near Milan. These agreements ensure that I receive the freshest tomatoes and flour specially made to my specifications – and on a daily basis too.
“We also like to innovate and have introduced the Nutella Pizza. This is unique to Fireaway, along with the full range of gluten-free and vegan options. We have something for everyone.”
