KFC embarks on US$2bil UK and Ireland expansion

KFC embarks on US$2bil UK and Ireland expansion

The US-owned chain values the UK fried chicken market at £3.1 billion yearly amid growing demand for its menu items.

KFC
KFC employed around 30,000 people in Britain and Ireland and planned to open 500 new restaurants over the next decade. (EPA Images pic)
LONDON:
The KFC fast food chain said Tuesday that it will invest more than US$2 billion on new and renovated restaurants in Britain and Ireland to meet a surge in demand for its chicken and fries.

It said the £1.49 billion (US$2.01 billion) would be spent over five years and create more than 7,000 jobs.

The US-owned chain, which opened in Britain in 1965 and now has 1,000 restaurants in the country, estimated the UK market for fried chicken to be worth £3.1 billion pounds a year.

“We’ve been serving customers in the UK for 60 years now, but we’ve never seen such strong demand for freshly prepared, fried chicken as we’re seeing today,” said Rob Swain, KFC general manager for Britain and Ireland.

The company said it already employs some 30,000 people in Britain and Ireland and planned to open 500 new restaurants in the next decade.

The former Kentucky Fried Chicken was created in 1930 in Kentucky state and has since become a fast food behemoth with more than 61,000 restaurants around the world and revenues in 2024 of US$7.5 billion.

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