Good cluck: US fried chicken chain Popeyes to open first UK store
US fried chicken chain Popeyes has today announced it will launch its first UK store this year, with plans to open hundreds of branches across the country.
The fast food firm will open the store by the end of 2021, it said this morning, and is targeting 350 sites across the UK within the next 10 years.
Popeyes, which was founded in New Orleans in 1972, currently has 3,400 restaurants across 29 countries.
Its expansion into the UK is part of a deal between PLK Europe – a subsidiary of Burger King owner Restaurant Brands International – Ring International Holdings and former Restaurant Brands executive Elias Diaz Sese.
The move is part of Popeye’s plan to expand across Europe, and follows its launch in Spain in 2019 and in Switzerland last year.
David Shear, president international of RBI, said: “We are excited to announce that we are going to be bringing the Popeyes brand to the UK.
“Popeyes has established itself as an international brand, famed for the creation of authentic, Louisiana-inspired fried chicken products. Our UK launch will build on other successful international expansions in Spain, Switzerland, China, the Philippines and most recently in Sri Lanka.
“We are confident that our UK guests will love their fried chicken from Popeyes and we look forward to offering an alternative product in a major international market that we believe is ripe for disruption.”