{
  "id": 17788434,
  "title": "Papa Johns and PJP Investments Group extend Middle East franchise partnership through 2036",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/02/papa-johns-and-pjp-investments-group-extend-middle-east-franchise",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-02T11:23:37.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Gulf News",
    "slug": "gulf-news",
    "url": "https://gulfnews.com/business/corporate-news/papa-johns-and-pjp-investments-group-extend-middle-east-franchise-partnership-through-2036-1.500732715"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Papa John's International, Inc. and PJP Investments Group LLC have extended their exclusive franchise agreement for Papa John's Pizza in the Middle East through 2036. The agreement covers the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Iraq, and India. Papa John's aims to increase its presence from the current 167 restaurants to over 400 by 2036. Iraq will become the fifth country in PJP's Papa John's portfolio, joining a market of 40 million people. The first restaurant in Iraq is planned to open in spring 2027, with 25 locations targeted by 2035. The partnership provides a decade of development, marking the brand's entry into a significant market for Papa John's. Todd Penegor, President and CEO of Papa John's, stated that this extension reflects the shared commitment to long-term growth in the region. PJP, an exclusive franchisee for over two decades, has successfully expanded the brand through digital assets and product innovations.",
  "summary": "Papa John's International, Inc. and PJP Investments Group LLC, the exclusive franchisee of Papa John’s Pizza across the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Iraq, today jointly announced a comprehensive ten-year extension to their Development Agreement, taking their exclusive Middle East partnership through to the end of 2036. Under the extended agreement, the parties plan to grow the…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 7,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Al-Monitor",
        "title": "China's Xi says Middle East should not become battleground for great power rivalry",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/02/chinas-xi-says-middle-east-should-not-become-battleground-for-great",
        "published": "2026-11-02T04:46:27.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Channel News Asia",
        "title": "China's Xi Jinping says Middle East should not become battleground for great power rivalry",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/02/chinas-xi-jinping-says-middle-east-should-not-become-battleground-for",
        "published": "2026-11-02T07:25:34.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "New Straits Times",
        "title": "China's Xi says Middle East should not become battleground for great power rivalry",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/02/chinas-xi-says-middle-east-should-not-become-battleground-for-great-17769578",
        "published": "2026-11-02T08:12:30.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Daily Maverick",
        "title": "China’s Xi says Middle East should not become battleground for great power rivalry",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/02/chinas-xi-says-middle-east-should-not-become-battleground-for-great-17772171",
        "published": "2026-11-02T09:12:52.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Middle East Eye",
        "title": "King of Jordan says no security in Middle East without Palestinian 'homeland'",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/02/king-of-jordan-says-no-security-in-middle-east-without-palestinian",
        "published": "2026-11-02T11:47:49.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Business Recorder",
        "title": "At 'China's Hollywood', visitors become stars as consumers spend more on experiences",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/02/at-chinas-hollywood-visitors-become-stars-as-consumers-spend-more-on-17795613",
        "published": "2026-11-02T12:04:13.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}