Former Boparan CEO Tom Crowley appointed to oversee Popeyes UK expansion

Tom Crowley, formerly chief executive of Boparan Restaurant Group and managing director of Giraffe Concepts, has been appointed UK chief executive of Popeyes to oversee its expansion.

The first restaurant for the US chicken brand in the UK is expected to open by the end of the year.

Crowley said: “I’m thrilled with the opportunity to launch the globally renowned Popeyes brand into the dynamic UK market. I believe we have a truly disruptive proposition rooted in authentic Louisiana culture that will really resonate with UK guests.

“This last year has been incredibly hard on the hospitality industry and I’m pleased that Popeyes will be able to contribute to the industry’s recovery with our ambitious goals for the UK. Popeyes is a very special brand and I am very excited about what we can achieve over the next 10 years and beyond.”

Elias Diaz Sese, co-founder of Popeyes UK and a director of Domino's Pizza UK and Ireland, told The Caterer last month that Popeyes was eyeing expansion in a mix of city centre and suburban locations with plans to grow to 350 UK sites over the next decade as part of a wider European roll-out.

He said the UK was an "extremely attractive" market for investors and the company wanted to grow in a "rational and reasonable way".

Openings will be a mix of eat-in, delivery and drive-through sites and could also extend to travel hubs.

Founded in New Orleans in the US in 1972, Popeyes has 3,400 restaurants across 29 countries. Popeyes is owned by Restaurant Brands International (RBI), which is also behind Burger King and Tim Hortons. The UK expansion is part of a partnership between Sese, a subsidiary of RBI and Austrian company Ring International Holdings.