The Adil Group has agreed to buy 22 KFC restaurants in north-west England from fellow franchisee 1st Rate. Once the deal completes, the Wembley-based operator will run 135 KFC restaurants, making it the largest KFC franchise partner in the UK and Ireland. It is also targeting almost 20% growth in its KFC business over the next five years.
The deal was reported on 13 October 2026 by QSR Media UK and Propel. The price has not been disclosed. The Adil Group traces its origins to 1969, when it bought its first Wimpy restaurant on Ealing Road in Wembley, and it has worked with KFC for 22 years. Its own website lists Costa Coffee, Burger King, Taco Bell and Anytime Fitness alongside KFC, with more than 206 sites and more than 6,000 staff across the group. Before this acquisition, the group gave its KFC estate as more than 110 restaurants.
Drive-thrus and small-box sites across the north west
The 22 restaurants sit in Manchester, Liverpool, Blackpool, Preston and Wigan, and QSR Media UK describes the deal as an expansion into north-west England. The portfolio mixes drive-thrus, small-box units and conventional restaurants. The group says it also plans to build new restaurants across the UK.
Raja Adil, chief executive of The Adil Group, pointed to North Wales, Manchester and Liverpool as the areas with the most room to grow. He said: “This investment reflects our ambition and with our focus on great operations and the backing of the KFC brand I’m confident this deal will deliver growth and opportunities for our business and teams.”
Consolidation among KFC’s multi-site franchisees
KFC’s UK estate is mostly franchised. Around 95% of its UK restaurants are run by franchise partners, and the brand’s published entry criteria call for £5 million in assets, £2 million in liquid funds and prior hospitality experience, figures far above the £85,000 mean total investment recorded in what it costs to open a franchise in the UK. That profile favours established multi-site operators. A sale between two franchisees, as here, keeps the restaurants inside the franchise system rather than returning them to company management.
James Whitehorn, chief growth officer of KFC UK and Ireland, described the group as a key partner and said: “This is just one example of the momentum behind KFC right now.” According to KFC figures reported by QSR Media UK, like-for-like sales across the UK and Ireland rose 10% in the second quarter and 9% over the year to date.
Good to know
KFC’s own growth plan relies on its franchise partners to build the new restaurants. The UK chicken market estimate of £6 billion by 2035 quoted alongside the deal is a forecast, not an official statistic.
A growth plan built on franchise partners
The acquisition follows the £1.5 billion plan KFC UK and Ireland announced in 2025, which aims to open 500 restaurants and create more than 7,000 jobs over ten years. Franchise partners are expected to fund and run most of those openings, as they do across the fast food brands recruiting UK operators. The Adil Group’s target of almost 20% growth in its KFC business over five years points in the same direction.
