Tim Hortons to open first London restaurant in major expansion drive

Canadian coffee and doughnut chain Tim Hortons is to open its first London site later this year.

It will launch a 4,209 sq ft location in Park Royal, west London, which will offer drive-through, dine-in and delivery options.

Tim Hortons launched its first UK restaurant in Glasgow in 2017 and now has more than 51 sites nationwide with flagship locations in Birmingham, Belfast, and Leicester.

The group is aiming to double the size of its portfolio across the country, reaching around 100 restaurants, by the end of 2023.

It is targeting drive-through as well as high street sites and plans to trial ‘new concepts’ as it expands.

Kevin Hydes, chief commercial officer at Tim Hortons in the UK, said: “Despite challenging times for the sector, our model has continued to prove its success and we are confident now is the right time to open in the capital and announce our updated growth strategy.

“We have a dedicated acquisition and construction team with us supporting our ambitious growth plan and we will be continuing to actively look for leasehold and freehold opportunities across the UK and Ireland.

"We are delighted to finally be bringing a restaurant to London, in what will be the first of many, with plenty more exciting openings in the pipeline for 2022 and beyond.”

Tim Hortons was founded in 1964 and now runs over 4,700 restaurants in Canada, the US and worldwide.

It is owned by fast food giant Restaurant Brands International, which is behind Burger King and the Popeyes fried chicken chain, which is also expanding in the UK.