Burger King UK delivers 'resilient' sales over the first half of 2024

It also opened 18 new Burger King UK owned restaurants and completed the integration of the Karali business which had been acquired in September 2022.

During 2023, Burger King UK opened new drive through restaurants in Castleford, Barrhead, Bolton Logistics Park, and Kirkcaldy as part of its expansion plans.

The statement added: “In addition, Burger King UK’s remodelling programme continued with the upgrade of 10 restaurants in 2023 driving an immediate uplift of sales at the locations.

"This forms part of its strategy to energise its restaurant portfolio, deliver an improved customer experience and a new visual identity, and diversify its customer proposition through the introduction of pre-order digital kiosks and digital menu screens.”

Burger King UK received an additional £35m of funding from its majority shareholder, Bridgepoint, during the year to support these initiatives.

Alasdair Murdoch, CEO of Burger King UK, said: “I am pleased to announce a strong full-year performance and significant strategic progress in 2023.

"Our revenue performance and improvement in operating profit reflects the strength of our brand and the continued demand for our high-quality, affordable food offering.

“Despite ongoing macro-economic challenges, we expanded our footprint by opening 18 new Burger King UK owned restaurants alongside fully integrating the Karali business to bring more of our restaurants under direct ownership.

Mr Murdoch added: "We also continued to invest in our customer proposition through our remodelling programme, advancements in digital transformation and the launch of several new products to cater to all preferences including the successful launch of the Peppercorn Angus and Chimichurri Steakhouse Angus as part of the Gourmet Kings premium offering.

“We have seen a resilient trading performance in the first half of 2024, with total sales growth of 5 per cent split equally between the existing estate and contribution from new site openings.”

He continued: "This was also supported by a significant improvement in profitability from a strong operational cost focus.

"Looking ahead, we are excited about our ambitious expansion plans and the continued growth of our digital and delivery services, supported by good cost management and a robust pipeline of new openings."

Burger King UK’s app has more than 2.8m users which reflected its investment in digital transformation, the company said.

The statement added: “The personalised, digital offers have driven strong customer engagement, helping to grow digital ordering and enhanced customer experience. Alongside this, the business continued to expand its home delivery offering and has partnerships with major home delivery operators including Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats.”