Popeyes UK, the UK’s fastest-growing chicken QSR brand known for the Chicken Sandwich “that broke the internet”, has today announced that it will open the doors to its 50th UK store in Glasgow; its 18th opening this year. The milestone means that the brand is on track to deliver the growth it projected in January – doubling the size of its UK estate in 2024.
Popeyes entered the UK market back in November 2021 and has since seen remarkable success with 49 location openings, including 7 drive-thru and 13 delivery kitchens across the UK. Having supplied food for everything from celebrity weddings to the Met Gala in the US, Popeyes’ unique New Orleans menu has landed the in UK to huge hype and acclaim – and the chain currently sells over 125,000 of its iconic “Shatter Crunch” Chicken Sandwich each week.
The rest of the year is set to be equally exciting for Popeyes UK, with stores in locations such as Watford, Wimbledon, Nottingham Teal, Merry Hill and Dartford being announced. In addition to this, a second location in Aberdeen, a second location in Luton, a third location in Manchester, and a first-ever location in Belfast, Northern Ireland are all set to open their doors in the coming months. These openings are expected to generate 2,000 new jobs, contributing to local economies.
Tom Crowley, CEO at Popeyes UK says:
“In just 30 months, our remarkable Popeyes UK team has secured a pipeline of 50 top-tier new sites, including our first ever Northern Irish location which opens in Belfast very soon. Currently, Popeyes UK is the fastest-growing chicken QSR brand in the UK, with a 125% year-on-year growth from May 2023 to May 2024. The sustained demand for Popeyes in the UK is incredible, but not unexpected. We’ve seen overnight queues for almost every opening since our UK launch in 2021, with fried chicken fans turning up to queue over 24 hours before the opening of new Popeyes restaurants. We remain committed to our expansion plans and look forward to achieving new milestones in the upcoming years.”
