Fast-food restaurant chain Burger King plans to further expand its footprint in the UK by opening 200 new restaurants in the country over the next five years.
The restaurant company noted that it has ‘good visibility’ for the ‘pipeline of future restaurant openings’ and aims to complete it by 2026.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Burger King UK CEO Alasdair Murdoch said: “Burger King UK delivered a strong performance in 2021, proactively managing Covid-19 headwinds through investment in digital sales, including home delivery, and continued restaurant expansion with a focus on Drive-Thru.
“Both delivery and Drive-Thru sales were strong throughout 2021 and will remain key areas of focus as we execute on our growth strategy. We have a strong development pipeline to further grow our UK footprint, and we are very well positioned to take advantage of the clear market opportunities ahead of us.
“I would like to thank all of our employees for their ongoing dedication and hard work, without which our ongoing growth would not be possible.”
The restaurant chain, which currently operates 500 restaurants in the UK, registered an increase in sales and profit recovery in 2021.
It reported a 68% surge in revenue last year, when operating profit stood at $45.4m (£33.4m) in comparison to a loss of $9.5m (£7.5m) in 2020.
The company is also said to have benefitted from the addition of 48 restaurants, which included the acquisition of 29 sites from franchisees.
Last December, Burger King reportedly signed an agreement to purchase 12 restaurants from franchisees in the UK.
