Popeyes® UK and Ireland (“Popeyes” or the “Company”), the award-winning QSR brand and Europe’s fastest growing F&B company, is pleased to announce the launch of a strategic partnership with Applegreen, one of Ireland’s leading retail businesses, to open a number of travel locations across the Republic of Ireland.
The franchise agreement will see Applegreen invest €6 million to deliver a pipeline of Popeyes® restaurants in roadside locations over the next four years, creating up to 450 new jobs.
The first restaurant of this format in Ireland is confirmed to be Applegreen Midway, Junction 17, M7 Portlaoise, set to open in the next few weeks.
The partnership between Applegreen and Popeyes drives forward the brand’s exciting plans to grow the Popeyes brand in the Republic of Ireland. Just last week Popeyes opened its first restaurant in Blanchardstown Centre, Dublin 15, with a second to follow quickly in Liffey Valley Shopping Centre.
This strategic development in Ireland comes as Popeyes continues to accelerate its growth across the UK. Since entering the UK market in 2021, the brand has scaled to more than 110 restaurants and now employs approximately 3,500 people.
Tom Byng, chief development officer at Popeyes UK and Ireland, said: “We’re thrilled to be working with Applegreen as we roll out new restaurants across the Republic of Ireland. The partnership will allow us to reach more customers on the move and marks an exciting milestone in our journey to bring our much-loved shatter crunchin’ chicken to Irish customers, with our first Irish restaurant opening in Blanchardstown last week“
Seamus Stapleton, managing director of Applegreen’s Republic of Ireland business, added, “We are delighted to add Popeyes to our growing portfolio of high-quality brands in the Irish market. At Applegreen we’re committed to raising the bar for roadside hospitality and offering great food and world class service to people on the move. Popeyes is a fantastic addition to the Applegreen offer and we can’t wait to open our first Popeyes outlet at Midway later this year.”
