Fast-expanding chains Wingstop and Popeyes have both unveiled ambitious plans to broaden their reach across the UK, generating thousands of job opportunities.
Popeyes has detailed plans to nearly double its UK presence by launching over 45 new restaurants, as reported by City AM.
This expansion will bolster its footprint in cities such as Birmingham, Leeds, and Bristol, while also growing further in Manchester, Liverpool, London, and Scotland.
The company anticipates creating approximately 2,500 jobs and aims for sales exceeding £200m in 2025.
Financial accounts released in October 2024 for the fiscal year 2023 showed a revenue increase from £15m to £58.1m. The firm has now reported that its sales soared to over £118m in 2024 with the opening of 33 new locations.
Tom Crowley, CEO of Popeyes UK, stated: “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.”
The Buffalo Ranch Sandwich at PopeyesHe added: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank the whole Popeyes team for their continued hard work and dedication throughout what was an incredibly busy year which saw us become the UK’s fastest growing QSR brand.”
He concluded: “Our ambitious roll-out strategy – which will see us open, on average, close to one new site per week in the coming 12 months – will mean that we can bring joy to even more customers across the country, from breakfast through to late night.”
“At the same time, we are looking forward to welcoming around 2,500 new team members in the year ahead to support our expansion plans, all the while continuing our clear focus on exciting menu and technology innovation. Underpinned by the proven global appeal of the Popeyes brand and our highly acclaimed customer proposition, the growth potential of the business is significant, and we have a medium-term target to scale to more than 350 sites, establishing Popeyes UK as one of the largest QSR [quick service restaurant] operators in the UK market.”
Concurrently, Wingstop, another popular chicken chain in the UK, has unveiled its ambitious plan to launch at least 20 new outlets this year, generating hundreds of job opportunities. This announcement comes a month after Wingstop’s UK division was acquired by a US private equity firm for over £400m.
Wingstop is a new addition to The Broadway in Bradford city centreWingstop UK plans to open at least 10 new locations in the first half of the year, including dine-in restaurants in Swansea, Newcastle, Lakeside shopping centre in Essex, Streatham in south London and Cardigan Fields in Leeds. Additionally, a new delivery kitchen will be opened in Brighton.
Currently, Wingstop operates 57 sites across the UK, employing more than 2,500 people, following an aggressive expansion strategy. Last year, the company opened 18 new locations, including its largest site at Westfield Stratford in east London.
Chris Sherriff, Chief Executive of Wingstop UK, expressed his enthusiasm for the company’s trajectory: “2024 has been a landmark year for Wingstop UK, marked by record site openings, a new flagship location and industry accolades.”
He continued, “This year we are poised for even greater growth, with plans to expand into new regions and create hundreds of jobs.”
Sherriff also extended gratitude towards the staff: “Thank you to the brilliant work of all our employees, who drive us to keep growing, whilst providing a personalised and authentic experience to wing-lovers up and down the country.”
He concluded with optimism, “There is huge momentum and we can’t wait to bring our flavours to more areas across the UK.”
In December, City AM reported that Wingstop had significantly increased its sales amidst its ongoing expansion in the UK, creating numerous job opportunities and returning to profitability. The restaurant chain, famed for its buffalo wings, disclosed a turnover of £84.6m for the 12 months leading up to 31 March, 2024, as per documents filed at Companies House.
This figure was a substantial increase from the £38.1m turnover reported the previous year. Additionally, the financial results indicated that the business bounced back from a pre-tax loss of £2m to achieve a pre-tax profit of £3.5m.
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