Pizza Hut Sold for Rp 44 Trillion, CEO Resigns Immediately
Pizza Hut global is undergoing a change in leadership. According to Reuters, this follows the completion of the sale of the pizza restaurant chain by Yum! Brands, the US-based fast-food company headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, in a transaction valued at US$2.7 billion (approximately Rp 44 trillion/Rp 17,727 per US$1).
Yum! Brands, which also oversees KFC and Taco Bell, revealed that Pizza Hut CEO Aaron Powell has resigned from his position after the sale process of the restaurant chain was finalised. In regulatory documents released on Tuesday, Powell was noted to officially end his tenure as global CEO of Pizza Hut and his other roles within the company as of 1 September 2026.
Powell has served as the global CEO of Pizza Hut since 2021. He had previously announced his plans to depart via a LinkedIn post last August.
Previously, Powell mentioned that Pizza Hut’s new owner, LongRange Capital, had offered him the opportunity to continue in his role within the company after the transaction concluded. LongRange Capital is a private equity firm also based in the US.
The sale of Pizza Hut is part of Yum! Brands’ strategy to divest businesses facing pressure in recent years. In one part of the transaction, LongRange Capital purchased the Pizza Hut business in the US and all international territories, excluding mainland China, for US$1.5 billion.
Yum! Brands first announced the sale in June 2026 after Pizza Hut faced prolonged performance declines. The Pizza Hut business has been pressured by weak consumer demand, intensifying competition within the fast-food industry, and shifting consumer behaviours.
One factor of particular concern is the increasing use of GLP-1-based weight-loss drugs. These medications are known to suppress appetite, which has the potential to affect both the frequency and volume of food consumption.
With this sale, Pizza Hut enters a new chapter under the control of its new owners. The change in CEO following the completion of the transaction also marks a significant shift in efforts to revitalise the performance of the pizza restaurant chain.