Leading firms including Fried Frank, Linklaters and Clifford Chance have helped secure the future of Pizza Hut’s restaurants in the U.K. after the brand was sold off to a U.S. private equity firm.

Heart With Smart (HWS), the operator that manages Pizza Hut's dine-in restaurants, was sold as part of a pre-pack sale to investment firm Directional Capital (DC) last week.