Papa John’s Shuts 13 South West Stores Overnight, Leaving Exeter and Plymouth Staff in Limbo

Papa John’s Employees in the Dark as 13 Stores Close Without Warning

Waking up to find your workplace shuttered isn’t something you expect, especially after punching in for your shift just days earlier. That’s exactly what happened to staff at 13 Papa John’s pizza outlets across the South West of England—including key sites in Exeter, Newquay, Barnstaple, Newton Abbot, Exmouth, and multiple locations across Plymouth—when the doors slammed shut overnight on May 1, 2025. No heads-up, no preparatory meetings, just a blunt message from the franchise boss Jabbar Khan pointing fingers at ‘external circumstances beyond our control.’

For many of these workers, that update came via message, not a personal conversation. They were told to finish up last inventories, hand over keys to corporate reps, and then…nothing. No word on whether that last payslip will drop into their bank account or if redundancy packages are on the horizon. Plenty had clocked in earlier in the week, expecting business as usual.

It wasn’t just Exeter or Plymouth that got caught off guard. Newquay’s staff shared similar tales—one day flipping pizzas, the next, locked out. Multiple employees said morale took a nosedive, with teams having little to go on apart from Khan’s mention of ‘external factors.’ The phrase left everyone guessing. Was it financial trouble? Supply chain chaos? Local competition getting fierce? So far, there’s no clear answer.

Papa John’s Responds as Franchise Partnership Ends

The situation got even murkier after Papa John’s UK admitted it had wrapped up its partnership with Khan following what the company called a ‘thorough review.’ The review’s details remain under wraps, but sources close to the matter say underperformance across certain stores might be behind the abrupt move.

The chain insists it hasn’t given up on Exeter, Plymouth, or the wider South West. In its official statement, Papa John’s said they are actively hunting for a new owner and want to reopen the stores as soon as possible, preferably by September. Affected staff, though, remain skeptical. With no written guarantee of jobs returning, many are polishing CVs instead of pizzas, fearing they’ll have to start from scratch elsewhere.

The only hint at hope is Khan’s note that a new operator could step in and bring stores back to life later in the year. Employees just want clarity. Pay remains top of mind, with workers desperate for confirmation around redundancy, holiday payouts, and whether their latest hours worked will be honored by either the old franchisee or the corporate mothership.

There’s no denying the blow this closure has landed on local economies. Exeter’s high street, already battered by other retail closures, now has another empty storefront. Plymouth’s food delivery sector feels the pinch, too. It’s a harsh reminder that even big brands like Papa John’s aren’t immune to sudden shake-ups—leaving workers wondering what tomorrow will bring in a changing high street landscape.