Wingstop announces minority investment in UK franchisee to drive further expansion

The investment comes after the group recently announced plans to open 10 new sites across the UK this year​​, with locations in Manchester, Kingston-upon-Thames, Birmingham Bullring and Bristol confirmed.

“We are thrilled to partner with the Lemon Pepper team as they grow their brand presence in the UK, a market with tremendous long-term potential,” says Wingstop CFO Michael Skipworth, who is joining LPH's board of directors as part of the deal.

“We believe this strategic use of our capital will strengthen the development pipeline in that market."

Wingstop entered into a 100-restaurant agreement with LPH in 2017 as the sole franchisee for the UK market.

The franchisee opened Wingstop’s first restaurant in central London, and its portfolio has developed into a mix of high street, shopping mall and ghost kitchen locations. 

Despite successive national lockdowns, Wingstop opened several new UK locations last year, and according to the group saw its highest UK sales growth in 2020.

Last month LPH launched Wingstop's first UK restaurant outside of the capital, in Reading.

“Since launching in the UK market in 2017, Wingstop has brought its flavoursome chicken wings to thousands of hungry guests across several high-profile locations,” says Tom Grogan, director of LPH.

“We’ve been delighted by the overwhelming response from guests and look forward to bringing our brand to more regions of the UK in coming years”.

Dow Schofield Watts and Baker McKenzie served as advisors to Wingstop for this transaction.