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burger king The UK has said it plans to open 30 new restaurants a year despite pressure from “soft” consumer sentiment and higher labor costs.
It came as the fast-food chain revealed strong revenues despite a “challenging” economic backdrop.
The brand, which has 574 UK restaurants, said it would nevertheless continue its current expansion programme.
It revealed plans to open about 30 restaurants per year from 2026, focusing on new company-owned sites.
Burger King said there have been “further signs of improvement” across the business this year, pointing to a slowdown in inflation.
It also highlighted how pressures on consumer finances and cost increases linked to last year’s budget have hit the UK hospitality sector.
Alasdair Murdoch, chief executive of Burger King UK, said: “Although inflation in food and utility costs has returned to more normal levels, the sector continues to face soft consumer sentiment and rising labor costs following significant increases in the national minimum wage and the National Living Wage.”
The business remains “strong” in 2025, with the group surpassing US$1 billion (£748 million) in system-wide sales across the UK.
During the year, the group also signed an agreement to extend the franchise rights of Burger King UK republic of ireland For the first time, businesses were provided with greater opportunities for expansion.
It came as the company revealed last year’s financial results, which showed revenue rising 7% to £408.3 million in 2024.
It said like-for-like sales rose 4.5% to £347 million, driven by home delivery sales and target markets.
Meanwhile, underlying earnings rose 12% to £26 million due to “disciplined cost control”.
Mr Murdoch said: “I am delighted to report another year of solid performance and strategic progress for Burger King UK in 2024.
“Despite the challenging macroeconomic environment and ongoing sector cost pressures, we delivered revenue growth, positive like-for-like sales and improved underlying EBITDA through disciplined cost management and operational focus.”