US fast food giant McDonald’s has announced plans to open over 200 restaurants in the UK in the next four years as part of a £1bn investment in the British Isles and Ireland.
McDonald’s said it will trial new restaurant formats as part of the rollout, which will include smaller versions in addition to the recently launched ‘drive to’.
It will also upgrade more than 1,500 existing restaurants across the UK and Ireland.
A new report by planning and development consultancy Lichfields coinciding the with chain’s 50th anniversary says that these plans will create more than 24,000 jobs.
The McDonald’s at 50 report focuses on the contribution the chain has made to the UK economy since it first opened on Woolwich High Street in 1974.
This contribution includes £94.45bn of gross value added and more than £51.56bn spent with UK-based suppliers and farmers during the past five decades.
Over the last five years, McDonald’s has invested £618m in new restaurants and updates and spent £1.37bn on UK-based suppliers.
