NRN: Papa John’s CMO Brandon Rhoten to Step Down

Papa John’s International Inc.’s chief marketing officer, Brandon Rhoten, will resign at the end of May.

According to an article on Nation’s Restaurant News, Papa John’s President and CEO Steve Ritchie announced Rhoten’s resignation to investors on Tuesday.

Rhoten’s resignation arrives on the heels of a first quarter that saw North American same-store sales decline by 5.3 percent and revenue decline by 4.9 percent. Papa John’s closed 17 locations in North American and repurchased 2 million shares in Q1.

Rhoten joined Papa John’s just a year ago after serving as vice president of media and digital/social at The Wendy’s Co. Ritchie will act as interim CMO until the franchise finds a permanent replacement.

“We will be initiating a search for a new marketing leader that has the necessary skills to execute our strategy with urgency and agility. . . We need to be faster in improving how we communicate and connect with consumers to improve results,” Ritchie said.

Read the full article at nrn.com.