Paul Hamilton, who was appointed head of brand for Five Guys Europe earlier this year, has told MCA that the brand is committed to further growth in the UK this year alongside a rapid rollout in some of its other markets.
A key focus for the better burger brand in 2019 is expansion in Germany, where it will open 10 new restaurants – a trebling of the estate. The same number of restaurants will also open in France and Hamilton said there is an ambition to do the same in the UK, despite the cloud of Brexit.
Yesterday the brand opened its 92nd site in the UK & Ireland, at Braintree’s Freeport shopping centre
Openings in Camden’s Parkway at the end of May, Market Street in Cambridge in early August and Drake Circus in Plymouth in October are all confirmed, while the brand is also thought to have openings lined up in Bromley and Peterborough.
Hamilton said his immediate priorities were to strengthen the brand’s digital offering but said the core offer remained resolutely strong.
He said: “What impressive is that we don’t actually have to push the brand when it goes into new areas. People seem to gravitate towards it. I think that’s partly because of the reputation it has built across the country but also because it very clearly communicates what the brand is about. The customer experience has been absolutely perfected and a lot of work has gone into every touchpoint of the brand.”
