By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

Papa John’s has unveiled a Bahamian comeback through a franchise agreement to open five stores in this nation within the next 36 months.

The pizza brand, which disappeared from the Bahamas’ market several years ago, will open its first Nassau outlet in mid-2018, and seek to get to five stores by end-2020.

John Wilson, chief executive for PPJ Bahamas, the Bahamian franchisee, said in a release: “We are delighted to have the opportunity to bring the Papa John’s brand and its ‘better ingredients, better pizza’ to the Bahamian market.

“We are assembling a fantastic team who are looking forward to delivering exceptional service to our guests and working together with our local community. We intend to share our success and give back to the wider Bahamian community we will be serving.”

“We are thrilled to be working with John Wilson and his team. John is a well-known entrepreneur in the Bahamas, and his expertise and strong track record for success will serve Papa John’s well,” said Tim O’Hern, the pizza chain’s senior vice-president and chief development officer.

“We remain enthusiastic about our growth in the Caribbean, and look forward to introducing Bahamians to the ‘better ingredients, better pizza’ experience that Papa John’s offers around the world.”

Papa John’s will enjoy strong brand recognition and familiarity among Bahamian consumers in its bid to re-enter this market, where ‘fast food’ and pizza are especially popular.

However, it will face a tough fight to re-establish itself given the intense competition from the likes of Marco’s Pizza (Aetos Holdings and the Tsavoussis brothers); Domino’s Pizza (BISX-listed AML Foods); and Pizza Hut.

While no locations have yet been announced, possible Papa John’s store sites could include the outlets recently vacated by Carl’s Jnr.