The fried chicken market has exploded in the past two years, with heavily backed newcomers such as Popeyes, Dave’s and Wingstop appearing on high streets across the country.
For this month’s Our Verdict feature, our team of testers tried the 11 biggest movers in the market to see if any of them could give KFC a run for its money – find the results here.
Here we look at what’s behind the trend and asking whether KFC’s place as the dominant market force is under threat.
It might sound like a silly question, given the numbers clearly show it remains the UK behemoth, with 1,040 branches, a finger-licking turnover of £280.2m in 2024 and a plan, confirmed to Money, to open 500 more shops in the next decade.
The company says its UK market share is 65% – but in the US, it is now behind Chick-fil-A, Popeyes and Raising Cane’s for sales. All three have ambitious UK plans – and they’re not alone.
What’s behind the explosion?
“Fast-food in the UK is undergoing a significant transformation, with chicken shops leading a rapid expansion in store numbers, a phenomenon that can be seen in high streets across the country,” say food industry analysts Meaningful Vision.
“Our data reveals a tale of extraordinary growth, fierce competition.”
In 2024, chicken shop growth outpaced all other fast-food segments by nearly 12%, with London accounting for 21% of openings, the West Midlands 11% and the North West 12%.
Industry insiders told Money the growth was driven by younger people, with market analysis showing Gen Zers visit fried chicken restaurants more than twice as often as the UK average.
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Protein, late night snacks and TikTok
A number of other ingredients are in the mix – one of which is consumer demand for protein-rich options.
Last year we reported on Domino’s expanding into fried chicken as consumer habits change.
The company announced it was rolling out its Chick ‘N’ Dip brand to 187 of its 1,400 branches in the UK and…
