Popeyes UK reported a 50% increase in sales to £178m in 2025, driven by continued customer demand and a string of new restaurant openings.
For the year to 31 December 2025, adjusted EBITDA climbed by 88.8% to £17m. However, the fried chicken chain saw loss before tax widen to £6m, from a loss of £4m in 2024. It said investment into growth of new restaurant openings resulted in “one-off pre-opening costs for each of these locations”, which softened overall profitability in the short term.
In the year, Popeyes opened 44 net new sites, taking its total property portfolio to over 100.
Since the year-end the food-to-go chain has opened 18 additional sites in the UK and launched in the Republic of Ireland, opening two restaurants to the end of June 2026. Several more sites are planned for the Republic of Ireland this year, in addition to several franchise sites in partnership with roadside retail company Applegreen.
Popeyes said it remained on track to reach approximately 150 locations across the UK and Republic of Ireland by the end of 2026.
Speaking to The Grocer earlier this year, Popeyes UK CEO Tom Crowley said his ultimate goal was that no customer would be more than 30 minutes away from a Popeyes, regardless of where they are in the UK.
Speaking of the latest financial results, Crowley explained: “2025 was another year of very strong growth for Popeyes. This reflects the strength of our brand, the success of our expansion strategy and our continued investment in people, technology and operations.
“We continue to see exceptional customer demand, with queues at new openings demonstrating the excitement around the Popeyes brand and our high-quality proposition.”
He added that momentum had “continued into 2026, with strong strategic and financial progress across the business”.
Earlier this month, Popeyes launched its first loyalty programme, ‘Popeyes Rewards’. It allows registered customers to earn 100 points for every £1 spent on eligible purchases, which can be redeemed against menu items.
Crowley said the loyalty scheme has “already attracted more than 200,000 members, further demonstrating the strength and broad appeal of the brand”.
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