Fried chicken fast-food chain, KFC, has announced plans to invest almost £1.5billion in its UK & Ireland (UK&I) operations, in a move that will see it open 500 new restaurant locations over the next decade. It also said its expansion plans would create 7,000 new jobs across its business and its supply chain in the next five years.

New KFC flagship sites and drive-thru’s earmarked for investment

Expanding its store footprint, KFC plans to spend an estimated £466million on new restaurants, with a focus on flagship sites and drive-thru openings in Ireland and the North West to meet growing demand.

“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,” KFC UK&I’s General Manager, Rob Swain, said.

It will also set aside investment for upgrading over 200 existing restaurants, with updated designs and digital features to bridge off- and on-line experiences for customers.

Evolving its digital offering with Deliveroo tie-up

In response to growing demand, KFC has also been expanding its online ordering capabilities, inking a new rapid delivery partnership deal with Deliveroo earlier this month. The partnership is part of KFC’s continued efforts to evolve its digital offering, aiming to make it as easy as possible for fried chicken fans to order their favourite menu items.

“We know we need to be wherever our customers are, which is why we’ve doubled down on our digital offering.  Finding the right combination of ordering options and commercial partnerships to serve all our customers simply and easily is key.”

Ella Smith, Chief Legal Officer, KFC UK&I

Already live in selected KFC restaurants in London and the South East, 924 more KFC sites will go live on the Deliveroo platform by the end of May.