Asian fast food brand Jollibee is opening its latest branch in Liverpool city centre this week, creating 50 jobs ahead of ambitious growth plans to expand across the entire country.
Liverpool will be the second UK site for Jollibee after London, and is set to open on Thursday inside the former Lush on Whitechapel.
The brand, famous for its fried chicken 'Chickenjoy' signature dish, is the biggest fast food chain in the Philippines, with over 1,400 stores nationwide.
It's developed something of a cult following, with previous openings having seen 72-hour queues, outperforming McDonald's and KFC in its native Philippines.
The Liverpool store is the beginning of ambitious UK expansion plans - with the firm hoping to open another 50 over the coming "three to five years".
The next opening is scheduled for Leicester later this year.
Adam Parkinson, market head of Europe for Jollibee, said: “It will be a great feeling for me as someone who grew up in North West England to experience the people of Liverpool taking their first bite of Chickenjoy, Jollibee’s signature crispy chicken. ”
“The UK quick service market continues to grow from strength to strength.
"We know that people are living busy lives and they rely on the quick service industry for budget-friendly ways to eat high-quality products on the go.
"It is our job to ensure we can continue to evolve our products and business channels to fit the demands of this segment.”
