Burger King eyes 200 new UK restaurants by 2026

Burger King is targeting 200 more UK restaurant openings over the next five years after reporting a jump in sales and profit recovery.

The fast food chain said its continued expansion strategy over the past year helped it post rising revenues in 2021 as it also benefited from the easing of pandemic rules.

It said total revenues climbed by 68% to £211.7 million compared with the previous year, as like-for-like sales lifted by 46%.

Burger King UK said it also benefited from the addition of 48 new owned restaurants last year.

It said this included 19 new restaurant openings as well as the acquisition of 29 sites from franchisees, including its flagship Leicester Square location.

The company said it plans to open 200 more sites by 2026 and already has “good visibility” regarding a pipeline of potential locations.

Meanwhile, it swung to a £33.4 million operating profit for the year, compared with a £7.5 million loss in 2020.

Chief executive 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.”