McDonald’s has announced its plan to open over 200 new restaurants in the UK and Ireland, creating approximately 24,000 new jobs in the process. This marks the fast-food chain’s largest expansion programme in over two decades, demonstrating their confidence in the UK high street.
The massive growth initiative is fuelled by a £1 billion investment from McDonald’s and its franchisees. Currently, the chain operates 1,435 restaurants in the UK, with the majority being owned and run by franchisees. With the addition of the new restaurants, the total number will reach 1,635, still slightly fewer than the number of Trussell Trust food banks in the country.
The company, which employs over 170,000 people, plans to focus on opening high street restaurants as part of this expansion. They will be experimenting with new restaurant formats, such as smaller site formats and the recent introduction of “drive-to” restaurant sites.
These new openings in the UK and Ireland are part of McDonald’s global goal to build 10,000 more restaurants by 2027. Alistair Macrow, the chief executive officer of McDonald’s UK&I, expressed his excitement about the expansion, highlighting the company’s growth and commitment to creating new job opportunities across the country.
Macrow stated, “We have come a long way since we first opened our doors in Woolwich 50 years ago. We have become an important part of communities across the UK, and I’m delighted that in this milestone year, we are able to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to growth by announcing the opening of over 200 new restaurants in the next four years. It’s a moment to celebrate and also to look ahead to what’s next, whether that’s providing value to our customers, investing in our restaurants, supporting our UK suppliers, or launching new initiatives for young people in communities where they are most needed.”
