James HesterBridgepoint is to acquire the rights to the Burger King brand in the UK, as it seeks to accelerate the fast-food chain’s expansion plans.
The private equity group will gain control over the Burger Kind UK franchise, with the right to open new stores across the country.
Bridgepoint said it had reached an agreement with Burger King Europe, an affiliate of Canada-listed Restaurant Brands International, to become the UK master franchisee.
As part of the deal, for an undisclosed amount, Bridgepoint will also acquire Caspian UK Group, one of the UK’s largest Burger King franchisees, with 74 restaurants.
Expansion plans
"Burger King is a pre-eminent global consumer brand with a robust and growing presence in the UK market, well-liked by consumers. This is an opportunity to work with a highly regarded management buy-in team to re-invigorate a much-loved brand and to grow the existing UK business," said Bridgepoint in a statement.
Burger King currently has around 500 restaurants in the UK, though lags rivals such as McDonald’s and KFC, which have in excess of 1,200 and 800 respectively.