'We're just getting started': Wingstop confirms nine new UK sites

US-headquartered chicken wing chain Wingstop is planning its biggest year of expansion in the UK since launching in the country in 2018.

Lemon Pepper Holdings, the master franchisee of Wingstop UK, has confirmed nine new locations will open this year, with a further six locations under negotiation for 2024.

The group is to launch five sites in and around London in Hounslow, Clapham High Street, Croydon Valley Retail Park, Wood Green and Westfield Stratford City. The latter will be Wingstop UK’s biggest premises to date, spanning 5,000 sq ft and hosting over 160 covers.

In Hertfordshire, the latest addition will be in Watford, while Essex will welcome a new restaurant at Lakeside Shopping Centre, West Thurrock.

A restaurant is set to open at Merry Hill shopping centre in Brierley Hill, West Midlands, plus Wingstop is to launch a second site in Leeds.

Wingstop UK currently operates 39 sites in the UK and employs over 1,600 people, while the new sites will create over 750 additional jobs.

The upcoming sites will mark a record year of openings for the brand across multiple formats: high street, retail park and shopping centre.

Tom Grogan, co-founder of Lemon Pepper Holdings, said: “2024 is going to be our biggest ever year of growth. In just five short years as a business, we have certainly made our mark, offering the best-tasting wings in the business alongside an authentic and customised dining experience. There is huge momentum, and we are just getting started.”