All our articles on business development in franchising Business Development
Explore our topics
Lidl GB turnover passes £13 billion, plans over 50 shops
07/10/2026Lidl GB reported turnover above £13 billion for the year to 28 February 2026, up 10.8%, with operating profit of £345 million. The discounter plans to open more than 50 shops this financial year, backed by £600 million of investment,…
Tesco joins bidders for Majestic Wine and its 200 shops
07/10/2026Tesco has emerged as a bidder for Majestic Wine, the specialist merchant that owner Fortress Investment Group put up for sale this year. Sky News reported the interest on 5 October. Majestic trades from more than 200 shops across the…
Aldi names 24 new UK stores opening before Christmas
02/10/2026Aldi has published the list of 24 new UK stores it plans to open before Christmas, plus three relocations, in the 10 weeks to the end of 2026. The announcement follows annual results showing turnover up 5% to a record…
Greggs lifts sales 7.7% and plans four factory closures
01/10/2026Greggs reported total sales up 7.7% in the 13 weeks to 26 September 2026 and nudged up its full-year outlook, while proposing to close four manufacturing sites with about 740 redundancies. The bakery chain's estate now stands at 2,796 shops,…
Aldi plans £900 million investment and 40 new UK stores
01/10/2026Aldi UK has set out a record £900 million investment for 2027, including about 40 new stores, after reporting sales of £19 billion for 2025. The discounter plans to open 42 stores in 2026 and says it aims to grow…
Camile Thai returns to UK growth three years after liquidation
24/09/2026Camile Thai has opened in Southsea, Portsmouth, its seventh UK restaurant, and plans to open in Southampton in late 2026 or early 2027. The Irish franchised Thai chain, whose two UK companies went into liquidation in 2023, now says it…
McDonald’s opens third Darlington drive-thru after repeated delays
22/09/2026McDonald's opens its third Darlington restaurant on 23 September 2026, a drive-thru on the Faverdale Industrial Estate that has slipped three times since construction began in March 2025. The brand has not named the operator, so whether the site joins…
Heineken leads bid for 300 Stonegate pubs in £300m deal
21/09/2026Heineken's UK pub arm Star Pubs is reported to be leading the bidding for around 300 pubs from Stonegate, in a deal valued at about £300 million. The talks were reported at the weekend on unnamed City sources and are…
Pizza Express owners explore £500m sale of 450-site business
21/09/2026Bain Capital and Cyrus Capital Partners have appointed Rothschild to explore a sale of Pizza Express, at a valuation reported at up to £500 million. Approaches have already come from trade bidders and investment firms. Any buyer takes on 370…
KFC plans to acquire more than 60 restaurants in 2027
21/09/2026KFC is looking to acquire more than 60 restaurants in the UK during 2027, according to Propel. The plan sits on top of an estate that is roughly 95% franchised, and it follows a June deal running the other way,…
