Pizza Restaurant Industry in Lillehammer: A Comprehensive Analysis

The pizza restaurant industry in Lillehammer represents a stable and growing part of the municipality's economy. With two registered companies and annual sales revenue exceeding NOK 30 million in 2025, the sector demonstrates positive development over recent years. Workforce growth has been significant, increasing from 35 employees in 2016 to 64 in 2025, indicating rising demand for pizza in the region. The industry has also proven relatively resilient to bankruptcy, underscoring its stability.

Sales figures for the pizza restaurant industry in Lillehammer have grown strongly in recent years, with an annual increase of 4.9% from 2024 to 2025. Sales revenue has risen from NOK 28.7M in 2024 to NOK 30.2M in 2025, demonstrating stable growth. Workforce growth has been even more pronounced, with an increase of 3.2% from 2024 to 2025, and a total of 62 employees in 2026. This indicates that the sector has a strong capacity to adapt to economic fluctuations and provide stable employment.

Sales figures over time

Workforce growth over time

Registered companies

In Lillehammer, the following companies are registered within the pizza restaurant industry:

1. Peppes Pizza Avd 28 Lillehammer (Storgata 69) – AS, established 1993-10-01, 35 employees, sales NOK 17.8M, EBITDA NOK 1.7M.
2. Peppes Pizza Avd 32 Strandtorget Lillehammer (Strandpromenaden 85) – AS, established 2022-09-22, 32 employees, sales NOK 13.2M, EBITDA NOK 1.2M.

Organisational form

All companies in the sector are registered as AS (Anonyme Selkskaper), indicating a high degree of organisational stability and capital strength. This is an advantage for both owners and employees, as AS entities often have better access to financing and are more attractive to investors.

Distribution of activity within the municipality

The pizza restaurant industry in Lillehammer is primarily active in the Lillehammer area, with the following statistics:

• Number of companies: 2
• Number of employees: 67
• Operating income: NOK 36.5M
• Sales: NOK 31.0M
• Wages: NOK 14.8M
• Operating profit: NOK 2.0M
• EBITDA: NOK 2.9M
• Gross margin: 2216%
• Operating margin: 5%

This shows that the sector has a high degree of efficiency and profitability, with a gross margin of over 2200%, which is exceptionally high and indicates good cost control.

The pizza restaurant industry in Lillehammer has proven to be relatively resilient to bankruptcy. Within the sector, there are no bankruptcy registrations for the registered companies, indicating a stable and well-established sector. This is a clear advantage compared to other parts of the economy in the municipality, where bankruptcy levels can be higher.

Bankruptcy statistics

• Number of bankrupt companies in the sector: 0
• Number of bankrupt companies in the parent category (restaurant/café): 3 (out of 64 companies)

This shows that pizza restaurants have a lower risk of bankruptcy compared to the broader category, which can be an advantage for new entrants in the sector.

Outlook for founders

The pizza restaurant industry in Lillehammer has shown positive development in recent years, with stable growth in both sales and number of employees. This indicates that there is growing demand for pizza in the region, which can be a good opportunity for new founders. With a gross margin of over 2200% and an EBITDA margin of 7%, the sector demonstrates good profitability.

Challenges

Although the sector has proven to be resilient, it is important to note that the broader category (restaurant/café) has experienced more volatile development, with a sales decline of 9.2% from 2024 to 2025. This may indicate high competition and challenges in maintaining profitability in a more competitive market.

Parent category (restaurant/café)

The broader category (restaurant/café) in Lillehammer has 64 companies, showing that it is much larger than the pizza restaurant sector. Sales figures for this category have grown from NOK 261.0M in 2016 to NOK 269.4M in 2025, with an annual growth rate of 4.9%. This shows that the broader category has stable development, but with lower growth than the pizza restaurant sector.

Peer companies

Below is a list of some of the most relevant peer companies in the parent category (restaurant/café), sorted by EBITDA:

This shows that the broader category has a high degree of variation in both sales and EBITDA, which can be a challenge for new entrants in the sector.

The pizza restaurant industry in Lillehammer has shown positive development in recent years, with stable growth in both sales and number of employees. This indicates that there is growing demand for pizza in the region, which can be a good opportunity for new founders. With a gross margin of over 2200% and an EBITDA margin of 7%, the sector demonstrates good profitability.

Summary

For founders considering starting a pizza restaurant in Lillehammer, it is important to note that the sector has stable development and good profitability. At the same time, it is important to be aware of the challenges that may exist in the broader category (restaurant/café), which has more volatile development. SmartGrunder can help founders find good addresses in Lillehammer for this sector, based on natural business prospects and local conditions.