Major KFC Rival Expands Across the UK With 20 New Stores Set To Open
- US fast food chain Wingstop, known for its bold flavours, to open 20 new branches in the UK
- New sites include Swansea, Newcastle, Brighton, and Streatham
- Recent £400m investment boosts UK expansion, creating hundreds of jobs
Wingstop, the US fast food favourite dubbed "better than KFC" by some diners, has announced plans to open 20 more branches across the UK this year. With 57 sites already operating, the expansion will introduce Wingstop’s signature wings, burgers, and loaded fries to more regions.
The first half of 2025 will see 10 new locations, including Swansea, Newcastle, Streatham, Leeds’ Cardigan Fields, and Essex’s Lakeside shopping centre. A delivery kitchen is also set to open in Brighton.
In a statement, Wingstop UK CEO Chris Sherriff said: “2024 was a landmark year for us. This year, we’re poised for even greater growth, bringing our flavours to more areas and creating hundreds of jobs.”
With bold flavours and a reputation for variety, Wingstop has drawn comparisons to KFC. One customer said: "It’s more than a meal, it’s a flavour experience.”
Tom Church, Co-Founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, said: “Wingstop’s expansion is fantastic news for food lovers. With 20 new locations, it’s great to see more regions getting a taste of this US favourite.”
Some of these cost of living crisis financial reports has shown takeaways is one of the first things people sacrifice and therefore there has been some what of a decline in takeaway sales. I don't know how this business operates but it could be a franchise situation where investors have to buy into to create their own Wingstop shops. These businesses are often put at a huge financial disadvantage compared to independent takeaway outlets that don't have franchise fees to pay and don't have to buy their food etc through the franchise business main owner.
I've seen a few videos of quite a few of these franchise businesses compared to independent takeaways and generally the independent takeaways are far superior value. There was one business that used to be KFC and became independent. Their prices were lowered and quality and quantity improved and they still were more profitable. It was in the North of England and I would really like to see that continue around the rest of the country. It is not in our interests to pay franchise fees as consumers, we get nothing for that money.
I would strongly suggest supporting independent businesses.