Burger King says it wants to open 200 more restaurants in the UK over the next five years.

The fast food chain said on Monday that it already has “good visibility” regarding a “pipeline of future restaurant openings”, aiming for completion by 2026.

It made the announcement as it reported a 68% increase in revenues to £211.7m, with like-for-like sales up by 46% during 2021.

It also announced a £33.4m operating profit for the year, compared with a £7.5m loss in 2020 – a year when many restaurants struggled with the effects of coronavirus lockdowns and related trading restrictions.

Chief executive Alasdair Murdoch said: “Burger King UK delivered a strong performance in 2021, proactively managing COVID-19 headwinds through investment in digital sales, including home delivery, and continued restaurant expansion with a focus on Drive Thru.

“Both delivery and Drive Thru sales were strong throughout 2021 and will remain key areas of focus as we execute on our growth strategy.

“We have a strong development pipeline to further grow our UK footprint, and we are very well positioned to take advantage of the clear market opportunities ahead of us.

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“I would like to thank all of our employees for their ongoing dedication and hard work, without which our ongoing growth would not be possible.”

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Burger King said it had benefited from the addition of 48 new owned restaurants last year, including the acquisition of 29 sites from franchisees, including its flagship Leicester Square branch in London.

The company also said it had continued to expand its meat-free range while making a 7% reduction in emissions and moving all sites to 100% renewable energy tariffs during the year.

The chain had 509 restaurants in the UK as of December, 172 of which are directly owned, with the rest being sub-franchises.

It employs around 4,400 people.

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