Popular US fast food giant to open 45 new restaurants in UK this year
A POPULAR US fast food chain has revealed plans to open 45 new restaurants in the UK this year.
Popeyes already opened 33 locations in the UK last year and it’s one of the fastest-growing chicken brands in the quick-service market.
The fast-food joint, which is famous for its Louisiana-style chicken burgers and tenders, first came to the UK in 2021, opening a site in Westfield shopping centre in Stratford.
It now plans to expand its presence in cities including Birmingham, Leeds and Bristol as well as opening further locations in Manchester, Liverpool, London and Scotland.
Alongside opening dine-in restaurants, the brand said it has plans to open drive-thru locations and delivery kitchens, which will be just for takeaway orders.
It also wants to open spots for customers to grab food near train stations.
Tom Crowley, chief of Popeyes UK, said: “2025 is set to be another incredibly exciting year for Popeyes UK, building on the significant successes our team generated in 2024 as we ended the year with an annual sales run rate of £150m.”
It is one of many American brands looking to grow its presence on the UK high street, despite many restaurants and cafes struggling due to factors like rising costs.
Despite many households facing rising bills, they may still choose to treat themselves occasionally to a fast-food meal as it is an affordable treat and costs less than a high-end restaurant.
A report from Barclays showed spending on takeaways and fast food grew 2.8% last year.
This comes as Wingstop, which currently has 57 sites across the UK said today it would open 20 more sites.
The expansion plans come a month after Wingstop’s UK arm was taken over by a US private equity company for more than £400million.
US firm Sixth Street struck a deal to buy a majority stake in Wingstop UK’s master franchisee, with plans to grow the business further.
Wingstop UK said at least 10 new locations will open in the first half of the year.
These will include dine-in restaurants in Swansea, Newcastle, Lakeside shopping centre in Essex, Streatham in south London and Cardigan Fields in Leeds.
Elsewhere, popular American restaurants such as Carl’s Jr, Dave’s Hot Chicken, and Chick-fil-A also said they would grow their presence in the UK this year.
NEW OPENINGS ON UK HIGH STREET
And it is not only American brands that are looking to grow their presence in the UK.
Hotel Chocolat said it will open 25 new UK stores and hire 200 more people this year.
The company said it is planning 25 new stores, including what it describes as its “most expansive ever” outlet in Manchester in spring.
And it also plans to open two new stores as part of a US expansion plan.
The chocolate seller, which was bought by Mars last year, made 10% more in sales over the festive period in 2024 than the previous year.
Sephora will also continue its UK expansion in 2025 with the opening of a new Liverpool site in the spring.
The French makeup giant first launched in the UK all the way back in 2005, but pulled out due to strong competition from other brands.
It then made a second return in 2022, launching in Westfield Stratford.
The Liverpool opening will be the eighth for the brand, following recent launches in Birmingham and Bluewater in Kent.
US FAST FOOD COMING TO THE UK
Many US brands are planning to grow their presence in the UK this year.
Carl’s Jr said it would open its first site in the UK in April.
The site, which will cater to 50 customers at a time, is being launched by the Boparan Restaurant Group.
Posting on Reddit, one branded the fast food giant “better than most, including McDonald’s and Burger King“.
Another said: “The Western Bacon Cheeseburger is undefeated.”
Family entertainment and dining centre Chuck E Cheese is also reportedly planning to launch six branches across England and Scotland.
Dave’s Hot Chicken opened its first UK location late last year.
The brand, famed for its jumbo chicken slider, launched on London’s Shaftesbury Avenue back in November.
Tex-Mex brand Velvet Taco will also make its UK debut next spring.
Popeyes entered the UK market in 2021 and now has plans to open 45 new sites this year.
US burger chain Wendy’s, which already has 31 sites in the UK, will also cut the ribbon on eight new locations this year.
Chick-fil-A said it would open a number of sites across Britain this year.
The famous fried chicken brand revealed exclusively to The Sun in September that it would launch in Northern Ireland, Leeds, Liverpool, and London.
Its first location in Belfast will open inside an Applegreen service station in Lisburn, County Antrim, this Thursday.
The chain briefly touched down with a temporary pop-up in Reading back in 2019.