Chicken chain KFC will create up to 9,000 jobs over the next three to five years as it embarks on a recession-defying expansion of restaurants.
The fast-food chain, famous for bargain buckets of fried chicken, announced an investment scheme of up to £150m to establish up to 300 new outlets by 2014.
Chief executive Martin Shuker said like-for-like sales at KFC, which employs 22,000 staff, were up 14% so far this year, as consumers were increasingly attracted to the chain’s low-cost food.
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He added: “The picture of KFC as only a takeaway is a dated one. If you were to go to Manchester, Birmingham, Scotland or Wales the predominant restaurant we have is actually a drive-through.”
The new branches will employ between 25 and 40 people each, most beginning on the minimum wage of £5.73. Shuker said not all workers would start on the low salaries as each store would need a management team.
