Wingstop UK's owners are continuing to expand the chicken restaurant chain while they look for a buyer, with a 50th outlet opened today and six more openings lined up this year.
Lemon Pepper Holdings (LPH), the master franchisee for Wingstop Inc (NASDAQ:WING) in the UK, celebrated its half-century in Bolton, Greater Manchester, part of the 300-plus franchise outlets that the Dallas-based chain has open worldwide.
The franchise owner plans to open another in Manchester this year and five in and around London and nearby: Whitechapel, Ealing, Walthamstow, Crawley in Surry and Lakeside in Essex.
Earlier this month it was reported that LPH, which bought an exclusive UK franchise agreement with Wingstop in 2017, has hired Goldman Sachs to explore a potential sale.
The majority shareholders of the franchise owner initiated the sale after receiving unsolicited interest from potential buyers, Sky News said.
Wingstop Inc (NASDAQ:WING), the US parent company, holds a 20% stake in the UK operation, which was founded by Saul Lewin, Tom Grogan, Herman Sahota and Paddy Bamford.
On the continued expansion in the UK, Chris Sherriff, co-chief executive of Lemon Pepper Holdings, said: "Today is a significant day for Wingstop UK as we celebrate the incredible achievement of opening our 50th location in just under six years."
He said Britain offers "untapped" potential for more openings, with an aim to add 200 sites within the next five years.