Hell Pizza
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| Type | Limited |
|---|---|
| Industry | Fast food |
| Founded | 1996 in Kelburn, Wellington |
| Headquarters | New Zealand |
| Products | Pizza, Pasta, Salads |
| Website | hellpizza.com |
Hell Pizza is a New Zealand-based pizza chain. Hell began in New Zealand in 1996 next to Victoria University, and has expanded within New Zealand and to the UK, Australia, Ireland ,Canada and Korea.
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[edit] History
Hell Pizza International is owned by Warren Powell, Callum Davies and Stu McMullin. In 2006, Hell sold the New Zealand Master Franchise rights to Tasman Foods (NZ master franchisee for Burger King) for NZ$15,000,000 and aimed to expand to the UK. The NZ Master Franchise rights were purchased back from Tasman Foods in 2009.
There are currently 64 stores nationwide in New Zealand. Since arriving to the UK in 2006, Hell have opened a pilot store in Fulham, as well as two franchisee operated stores in Clapham and Shepherds Bush, all in London.[1] Australia has opened two stores in South-east Queensland. Hell also opened its first stores in Dublin, Ireland, and Vancouver, Canada, in 2009 and in India in 2010.[2]
The pilot store for Hell Pizza was called "The Pizza Place", it opened in Wainuiomata, Lower Hutt, New Zealand two years prior to the Hell Pizza brand being established.[citation needed]
In 2009 Hells Pizza owner Warren Powell verbally pledged to pay all proceeds from a Hell takeaway van at the Big Night In Telethon to the charity KidsCan, but reneged on the deal. [3] The charity did not pursue the matter as it would cost more than they would recover.
In July 2010 the Hell Pizza customer database was cracked, affecting over 230,000 customers.[4]
[edit] Marketing
The Hell theme is used throughout - for instance:
- Seven of the pizzas are named after the seven deadly sins.
- The dessert and drinks sections on their menu are named ambrosia and nectar respectively.
- The stores have custom wallpaper, lava lights, flaming seats and wicked chandeliers
- The large pizza boxes have a cut-out of a coffin, "for your remains."
- The anti-litter message on the box says to "dispose of the evidence."
- The phone number (0800 666 111 in NZ and 08456 666 999 in the UK) carries the message "go to hell (666) for an emergency (111, 999)."
The company is notable for its humorous advertising and for being the first company in New Zealand to offer online pizza ordering, in 1996. Their logo, and their pizzas, are used on the Sporting Hell segment on the television show Pulp Sport.
Hell Pizza has had a number of complaints about its advertising.
[edit] Condom advertising
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On 31 October 2006 Hell announced through a press release it would be promoting its "Lust" pizza by distributing 170,000 branded condoms. They said that "while the primary aim of the campaign is to promote our LUST pizza, let's not forget that promoting the use of condoms has important public benefits such as sexual education, the prevention of pregnancy and the prevention of sexually transmitted infections".[5]
Within days, groups such as Family Life International, Focus on the Family and the Catholic Church had lodged complaints with the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). The Family First Lobby said Hell has "crossed the line of what is decent and acceptable advertising material to be put in letterboxes of families".[6] In addition there were complaints that the packaging contained "explicit instructions",[7] though these are the typical instructions that come with condoms.
[edit] Mocking of Christianity
A radio advertisement that featured a humorous conversation about Hell was felt to be mocking of Christianity and deemed offensive. The ASA ruled that there were no grounds to take any action on the complaint since "it did not reach the threshold to be likely to cause serious or widespread offence".[8]
[edit] "Selling your soul"
The expression "sell your soul" was used in flyers, the company website and in television and radio advertising. It attracted a complaint to the ASA on the grounds of being "This flippant attitude towards something that many New Zealand citizens ... believed to be significant and consequential..." The ASA ruled that there were no grounds to proceed about the complaint since it is a common saying and recognised to be dark and satirical.[9] Hell also purchased the soul of a 24-year-old Wanganui man for $5001, after the online auction website Trademe withdrew his attempt to sell it there.[10]
[edit] Halloween dead celebrities
In November 2008, while under management from Tasman Foods, Hell Pizza New Zealand apologised for an advertisement featuring skeletal remains of Sir Edmund Hillary, Heath Ledger, and the Queen Mother, dancing on gravestones. The apology was to Hillary's family, which complained the ad was in "extremely poor taste". The ad was withdrawn from the company website on 3 November.[11]
[edit] References
- ^ www.hellpizza.co.uk
- ^ www.hellpizza.com
- ^ Hurley, Bevan (24 July 2011). "Charity cops one Hell of a loss". The New Zealand Herald. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10740482.
- ^ Barratt, Joseph (25 July 2010). "Police called over pizza hack". New Zealand Herald. http://nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10661073. Retrieved 29 July 2010.
- ^ "HELL distributes condoms to promote Lust". Hell Pizza. http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0610/S00588.htm.
- ^ "Hell’s Pizza sinks to offensive advertising". Family First Lobby. http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0611/S00023.htm.
- ^ http://www.familyfirst.org.nz/index.cfm/Action_Alert_
- ^ Advertising Standards Authority (2008-05-13). "08/231 - Hell Pizza Radio Advertisement". Advertising Standards Authority. http://203.152.114.11/decisions/08/08231.doc. Retrieved 2008-10-06.
- ^ Advertising Standards Authority (2008-08-22). "08/396 - Hell Pizza Direct Mail Website and Television Advertisement". Advertising Standards Authority. http://203.152.114.11/decisions/08/08396.doc. Retrieved 2008-10-06.
- ^ "Man sells his soul to Hell". Manawatu Standard. 4 July 2008. http://www.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-standard/news/518617. Retrieved 2009-10-14.
- ^ Tedmanson, Sophie (3 November 2008). "Pizza company apologies for ad featuring Hillary, Ledger and the Queen Mother". London: Times Online. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article5070771.ece. Retrieved 2008-11-03.
