Pizza chain Papa Johns has revealed plans to close about 50 takeaways in the UK which it said are not performing as well as others.

Kent is home to 24 branches of the US-based company and it is not yet known how many of them could be at risk of shutting down.

The stores are scattered across the county and are based in places such as Herne Bay, Medway, Folkestone and Ashford.

But which of the sites are set to close has not been made public.

Papa Johns has more than 450 restaurants across the UK and the move comes as part of efforts to bolster its performance in the country.

A spokeswoman for the group said: “As our second largest global market, Papa Johns remains committed to driving growth in the UK.

“As mentioned in January, we are undertaking a comprehensive review of our UK-based restaurants to assess viability.

“Based on our current analysis, we are planning to close approximately 50 underperforming corporate-owned locations.

“The strategic closure of these restaurants would give us the opportunity to invest back into the right locations with the right partners; optimising the brand for long-term growth.”

The group reported record global sales for the final three months of 2023, hitting more than 1.3 billion US dollars (£1 billion) during the quarter – a 10th higher than the previous year.

But chief executive Rob Lynch said it was taking action to improve profitability in the UK and to strengthen its franchisee base, as sales have begun to grow.

Papa Johns said it is focused on its staff “who will be the first to know” the takeaways that are closing, as it starts consulting on the locations.

“For any proposed restaurant closures that impact team members, we will work to find alternative roles within Papa Johns,” the spokeswoman added.