- Chick-fil-A is planning to open a year-long pop-up in the UK, according to Propel Info.
- The chain has launched a number of short pop-ups in the UK in recent years.
- Chick-fil-A is planning to open its first international location in Canada this year.
Chick-fil-A is reportedly planning to open a year-long pop-up in the UK.
Propel Info’s Mark Wingett tweeted on Friday that Chick-fil-A “is looking to take a significant step towards launching in the UK, with plans to open of a one-year pop-up here.”
Chick-fil-A has opened a number of pop-ups in the UK in recent years to gauge potential customers’ interest, Scotsman Food & Drink reports.
“It’s important to understand how big brands have succeeded and how others haven’t,” Rich Matherne, Chick-fil-A’s vice president of international expansion, told Scotsman Food & Drink during a pop-up in Edinburgh.
“We know that the UK, and Scotland specifically, is one of the most attractive and high-priority locations for Chick-fil-A,” Matherne continued.
Chick-fil-A did not respond to Business Insider’s request for comment.
The chain is set to open its first international location in 2019, in Toronto. In five years, the company plans to open at least 15 locations in the Canadian city and is seeking applications for new operators.
Chick-fil-A has thrived in recent years, despite backlash against CEO Dan Cathy’s 2012 comments opposing same-sex marriage and corporate donations to the Salvation Army and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. From 2012 to 2019, Chick-fil-A went from $4.6 billion in systemwide sales to nearly $10.5 billion in American systemwide sales, according to Nation’s Restaurant News.
However, experts say that its reputation may impact its ability to expand internationally.
“Their reputation could absolutely impact their ability to expand or land partnerships with other brands,” Chris Allieri, founder at brand consultancy Mulberry & Astor, said. Allieri said he would never counsel a CEO or brand to work with a company that appears to support “discrimination and hate.”
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