QSR restaurant brand Wendy's is announcing the signing of two new development agreements with franchisees in the Republic of Ireland and Romania. These franchisees plan to support Wendy's expansion goals to develop hundreds of restaurants across Europe over the next decade, beginning in 2025. The company is also actively recruiting well-established franchisee candidates in European markets to help expand its restaurant footprint across the continent. Wendy's is looking for franchisees with strong operations experience, local development expertise and a proven track record of growing brands at an accelerated pace.

Wendy's re-entered the United Kingdom in 2021, which serves as the foothold for growth across Europe. The company expects to see up to 50 restaurants in the market by the end of 2024 and is in a position to continue growing the brand in the UK to 400 restaurants over time. Wendy's continues to expand its brand presence across the United Kingdom, alongside its franchisees, including in the north, with a restaurant opening in Liverpool in summer 2024. The company has significantly invested in local resources to support its growth across Europe, including a robust supply chain, regional operations teams, and marketing and creative agency partners.

E.J. Wunsch, president, international for The Wendy's Co., said, "We are continuing our journey to become a brand of increased global significance, and Europe is a high-priority, strategic growth market to expand Wendy's presence internationally. To accelerate our momentum, we are focused on building relationships with franchisees who share our ambition to grow and scale Wendy's restaurant footprint across the continent."

Michael Clarke, managing director for Wendy's Europe, said, "It's an exciting time to be with the Wendy's team in Europe. Brand fans and customers continue to ask us, ['Where is Wendy's opening next?'] We are ready to answer the demand by bringing more Wendy's to more people – putting our fresh, high-quality and delicious food into the hands of European consumers where they live, work and play."

Wendy's will continue to recruit strategic partners with opportunities available across Europe.

There are more than 7,000 Wendy's restaurants worldwide across over 30 markets and territories, and the brand continues to execute its strategy to accelerate global growth and expand its presence internationally.

Wendy's international presence represents 70% of the brand's planned expansion through 2025, with several incremental and accelerated commitments in place to rapidly expand the brand's global footprint and make headway toward further solidifying its long-term development pipeline.

In 2023, Wendy's achieved its 13th consecutive year of global same-restaurant sales growth and continues to see acceleration in markets across the globe, which has been made possible due to the strong partnerships the brand has built with its franchisees and supplier partners.

Source: The Wendy's Co.