News

Fast Casual restaurants gain UK market share

November 28, 2010

Fast-casual restaurants are continuing to gain market share in the United Kingdom -- growing at a faster rate than their limited-service counterparts, according to Technomic’s “2010 Leading 100 U.K. Chain Restaurant Report.”

The report is the most comprehensive ranking, analysis and overview of the U.K. chain restaurant industry. Interesting findings include:

• The Bar and Grill category, made up of casual dining and pub chains, continued to be the leader in total sales and units for the full-service restaurant segment.
• The Coffee and Other Beverage category was the second largest in the limited-service segment, with total 2009 sales exceeding £1.2 billion ($1.87 billion USD), an increase in 13.5 percent over the prior year.
• The fastest growing menu categories for fullservice restaurants were Asian, up 12.9 percent, and traditional, up 11.3 percent. In terms of unit growth, French and Asian were the best performers, up 9.6 and 9.5 percent respectively.

Leading fast casual restaurants in the United Kingdom includeYo Sushi, Itsu and Leon. The three chains have an estimated combined total of 95 locations, led by Yo Sushi with approximately 50 units, Itsu with 35 and Leon with 10.

In May, Chipotle opened its first European location in London and announced it is searching for other opportunities in Germany and Paris.