KFC UK&I has today announced plans to invest £1.49 billion and create over 7,000 new jobs in the UK and Ireland over the next five years, as it celebrates 60 years of being the original and leading fried chicken brand in the UK and Ireland.
The investment forms part of KFC UK&I’s future growth strategy, which includes the ambition to become the fastest growing restaurant brand for the next generation, with plans to open a further 500 restaurants over the next decade[2].
Of the £1.49 billion investment, £466 million will go towards opening new restaurants across the UK&I, focusing on building flagship sites and drive-thrus in key locations such as Ireland and North West England, where there is strong potential for growth. Part of this figure will also be spent on upgrading more than 200 existing KFC restaurants – 20 per cent of the KFC estate – with a fresh new design and the latest digital capabilities to help deliver a best-in-class experience for customers and team members.
Through its expansion, KFC will create over 7,000 new jobs within its UK&I business and across its supply chain over the next five years, an investment totalling £583 million. These new roles in restaurant include customer-facing team member jobs, kitchen-based roles cooking up KFC’s iconic chicken, restaurant managers and a newly created guest experience lead role tasked with improving the customer experience in restaurant. All roles offer a range of training and development opportunities to support fast career progression at KFC.
In addition to investing in restaurants and job creation, £404 million of the £1.49 billion investment will strengthen KFC’s long-standing relationships with its suppliers and help businesses across the UK&I continue to grow. Pilgrim’s Europe, supplying fresh chicken from farms across the UK, Buckinghamshire-based McCormick making KFC’s fan-favourite gravy, Nature’s Way growing crispy salads at farms in Chichester, and software company Fourth supplying the technology powering KFC’s restaurant operations are all set to benefit from KFC’s growth and investment in the UK&I.
KFC’s investment will contribute a further £169 million of direct gross value added (GVA) to the UK economy over the next five years, through building new restaurants, hiring more people, spending more with UK suppliers, and increasing the earning and spending potential of its employees and partners.
The move comes as the nation’s appetite for fried chicken continues to grow at pace. The UK fried chicken market is estimated to be worth £3.1 billion[3], its growth driven by KFC UK&I’s expansion over the past 60 years, since it first opened in Preston in 1965. The market is only expected to grow further, with consumer demand for fried chicken outstripping other QSR categories.
Rob Swain, general manager KFC UK & Ireland, said: “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. As the market leader and a near-£2 billion revenue business, we’re incredibly well positioned to unlock this opportunity. That’s why we’re doubling down on our commitment to the UK&I with a major investment in our restaurants, and in the suppliers who have been so crucial to our success, which will create jobs in local communities across the country.”
Kate Nicholls, chief executive, UKHospitality, said: “Hospitality’s ability to create places where people want to live, work and invest is unrivalled. This significant announcement from KFC is proof of that and will help to drive socially productive growth, deliver economically and support employment across the UK.”
To mark 60 years in the UK and Ireland, KFC has released its first economic and community impact report, Believing in chicken since 65, that explores KFC’s contribution to the UK economy and its communities over the past six decades. Headlines from the report include:
- KFC adds £1.10 billion of total annual economic contribution to the UK economy every year
- KFC spends £856 million every year directly with UK-based suppliers
- Over the past 60 years, KFC is estimated to have contributed £11.6 billion to the UK economy, through its investment, its spending with UK suppliers and the impact of its team members’ wages
- KFC and its 27 franchise partners employ a total of 33,500 people and create another 7,500 jobs across the UK through our supply chain and knock on impacts.
- KFC has donated more than three million meals to people facing food insecurity through its partnership with FareShare
- With KFC’s continued support, the KFC Youth Foundation has provided £10 million of grants to community groups supporting young people across the UK&I
- KFC has given more than 1,000 young people a chance to enter the workplace that they would not otherwise have had through its pre-employment programme, Hatch.
