Large pizza chains continued to expand beyond U.S. borders this year, with a keen focus on nations with rising disposable incomes.

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According to a recent article in The New York Times, many nations view Western foods such as pizza as status symbols, furthering the growth of
fast-food brands in places such as Africa. And Euromonitor International showed sales at Middle East and Africa pizzerias growing from $4.29 billion in 2015 to $4.66 billion in 2016.