2022 ended with an increase in stores in restaurant chains. According to the survey carried out with forty-five companies in the sector, in Spain, the year ended with 9% more stores. Most of the sector had as a priority to grow throughout the Spanish territory during the year. Almost all chains have managed to open new stores in new locations.
We have known this increase, thanks to the survey carried out by the business association Marcas de Restauración (MdR) to its forty-five associates, who operate more than one hundred and fifty brands.
What companies have increased their stores?
One of the prominent companies was Alsea, which in 2022 opened fifty restaurants among its most famous brands: Starbucks, Domino's and VIPS. Food Delivery Blands also considerably increased the number of stores, opening nineteen new Telepizza stores in Spain. Avanza Food inaugurated twelve new stores of its Carls Jr and Tony Roma's brands. The KFC brand has been one of the most prominent in 2022. I end the year with thirty new stores, reaching a total number of two hundred and forty-seven restaurants in Spain. Thanks to these new premises, they have been able to generate more than a thousand jobs for the country. KFC is one of the brands that has opened the most stores, since a new competitor has emerged in Spain, Popeyes, a war for fried chicken in Spain.
The increase in stores marks a result that shows the growth and consolidation of the fast food sector in Spain.
How much money has been invested?
During 2022, approximately more than seven hundred restaurant chain stores were opened. All companies have made these statistics public. More than eleven thousand jobs have been created in total, with an investment close to three hundred and fifty million euros.
One of the brands that invested the most money was Popeyes, which allocated twenty million euros to the opening of twenty restaurants during the first half of last year. The chain restoration market has established itself in Spain. During the pandemic, it gained ground on independent restaurants and bars, capitalizing on most of the share gain achieved in the last two years. The restaurant chains occupy a third of the total spending of the Spanish in commercial restoration. During 2021, 24.140 million euros were generated in the sector, 7.577 million corresponded to organized restoration.
Perspectives and forecasts for 2023.
The forecast for this year 2023 contemplates maintaining the rate achieved in recent years, so the trend would continue to rise. According to data obtained from the latest Brand Restoration Observatory, eight out of ten brands believe that they will increase their turnover during 2023, although at a more moderate rate than the current one. Despite inflation, chains will continue to increase their staff and number of stores.
Carlos Pérez Tenorio, President of Restoration Brands, has declared the following: "It is evident that the strong current and future growth potential that accompanies the commercial catering sector in the transformation of habits towards food outside the home, is acting in counterweight and stimulus to growth despite all the circumstances that we have been suffering and weathering since last 2020”
Among the companies associated with the Marcas de Restauración business association, the rise in costs and supplies is quite worrying, mainly the increase in uncontrolled prices on raw materials and energy. It also affects the rental of commercial premises. In addition, the entry into force of the new tax on single-use plastics also worries companies, since they will have to change all the materials of some utensils, increasing their costs.
