This year, store openings are one of the key elements driving growth in the market. Fast-food chains in the United Kingdom continue to expand in 2025, showing a 2% increase in total outlets. However, despite the arrival of many new players, the current growth rate is less than half of that seen last year. The chicken segment is leading this expansion, followed by coffee shops and bakeries.
According to Meaningful Vision’s data, around 70% of chains opened new stores in the twelve months leading up to August 2025, adding almost 1,200 new outlets in total. Although the pace of openings slowed compared with the previous year, with the number of new stores down by 17%, closures also declined. The result is a net growth of 2% in the total number of outlets.
The chicken shop segment leads the way in terms of percentage growth, with 213 stores launched over the past year. This category includes both international and local brands, new entrants and established names, with more expansion expected in the coming months.
In absolute numbers, however, bakeries account for the largest number of openings — more than 334 stores in the last twelve months. Greggs remains the clear leader in new store launches. While its growth rate of 6% may not seem high in relative terms, its large estate means the brand continues to dominate in total outlet numbers of openings. Popeyes ranks third overall and leads in percentage terms, with an impressive 112% growth.
Coffee shops also expanded significantly, adding approximately 300 new outlets. Black Sheep Coffee and Caffè Nero were among the most active chains, while Starbucks and Costa Coffee also contributed strongly to this expansion. However, this year Starbucks announced some closures both globally and in the UK.
“New openings continue to drive traffic growth for fast food chains,” comments Maria Vanifatova, CEO of Meaningful Vision. “Some segments still have substantial potential to grow. For example, chicken chains recorded a 7% increase in August, which translates to only around 200 new stores, not a particularly large number for a market as significant as the United Kingdom.”