American fried chicken fast food chain Popeye’s is planning to open 40 restaurants in Portugal, with the first due to open as soon as 2022.
The project will involve a €50 million investment and is expected to create around 1,000 new jobs, Maria Jimenezu from Spanish group RBI Iberia told Eco newspaper.
“Portugal is a strategic market for us and so we have an ambitious growth plan with company-owned restaurants and franchises. To carry it out, we want to find local partners with whom we can grow and develop the brand in the country,” Jimenezu added.
The chain opened its first restaurants in Spain two years ago to great success, prompting it to increase the number of restaurants it was planning to open this year in the country from 30 to 50.
The chain has not yet revealed where the restaurants will open in Portugal, although it is believed that there will be an increased focus on take-away and delivery options due to the pandemic.
Popeye’s, usually viewed as KFC’s biggest rival in the fried chicken fast food market, was founded in USA in 1972 and currently has over 3,400 restaurants across the world.
