McDonald's eyes growth of UK restaurant chain

by Lucy Barrett, Marketing 13-Nov-07, 08:45

LONDON - McDonald's is to boost the number of its restaurants across the UK, indicating a renewed confidence in the UK market, after five consecutive years of flagging sales at the fast-food chain.

The expansion will be cautious and is unlikely to signal a re-turn to the aggressive approach of bygone years when it was perceived to have a policy of opening at least one site on every high street in the UK.

McDonald's is often targeted as a factor in the rise of obesity, particularly in children. This, combined with negative perceptions about the quality of its food and restaurants, led to a decline in sales, resulting in the closure of 25 high-street branches last year.

The company has now fought back, refocusing on its core menu of burgers, and is redesigning its restaurants. It has also adopted a more open-door policy toward both customers and marketing activity. Earlier this year it launched makeupyourownmind.co.uk, a website allowing consumers to ask anything they want to know about the company.