Popeyes opens 50th store in the UK since 2021

Popeyes®, a quick service chicken restaurant, is opening its 50th store in the UK, following a successful three years since it first set up shop for British consumers in 2021.

The new store will be opening in Glasgow, Scotland however expansion plans do not stop there as the chicken QSR has revealed that the chain is continuing its growth pledge of 125 percent in 2024.

In fact, Popeyes® UK is poised to open an addition 15 locations this year alone, including its first northern Irish store in Belfast.

The Glasgow restaurant will be the company’s 18th UK opening this year and comes at a time where it is planning on “doubling the size of its UK estate in 2024”.

Looking ahead to the coming months, the QSR is set to open stores in Watford, Wimbledon, Nottingham Teal, Merry Hill and Dartford. What’s more, there are plans to set up shop in Aberdeen, a second location in Luton, a third location in Manchester, as well as in Belfast.

According to Popeyes®, the opening of new restaurants will open up 2,000 new hospitality jobs in total.

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“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,” said Tom Crowley, CEO at Popeyes® UK.

“Currently, Popeyes® UK is the fastest-growing chicken QSR brand in the UK, with a 125 percent 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,” concluded Crowley.