The popularfast food chain KFC has confirmed the closure of one of its “very good” branches in a blow to customers.
KFC has announced its restaurant in Waltons Avenue in Holbury, Southampton has shut its doors for the final time.
A spokesperson for KFC said: “We’re constantly reviewing our portfolio of over 1,000 restaurants and at times, this sadly means we have to close some.
“We never want to disappoint our team and loyal fans, which is why we always try to relocate our team members to other restaurants.
“Our fans can always find their next nearest restaurant on our website.”
Those in the area looking for their nearest KFC are able to use the chain’s “Find a KFC” online checker.
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This closure has taken place despite the fact food hygiene inspectors gave the store a “very good” rating in June 2022.
Other fast food chains, including McDonalds and Frankie and Benny’s, have shut sites in recent months.
In September 2023, McDonalds closed its branch on St Mary Street in Weymouth, Dorset despite being the most popular fast food brand in the country.
Frankie & Benny-owners The Restaurant Group (TRG) confirmed it was shutting down 23 of its sites to cut costs in May last year
Here is a list of the KFC store closures which taken place throughout 2023 and 2024:
- The Avenue Retail Park on Weaverthorpe Road in Bradford
- Linthorpe Road, Middlesbrough
- Livingstone Street in Glasgow
- Kilburn High Road
- London Road, Cowplain village
- Ferndown, Dorset
- Holbury.
As of March 2024, there are more than 1,000 KFC restaurants operating in the UK.
These changes in the hospitality sector come amid widespread disruption in the industry following the Covid-19 pandemic.
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The subsequent lockdowns led to restaurants, bars, pubs and cafes being forced to close numerous times between 2020 and 2022.
In the aftermath of the global crisis, hospitality business owners were saddled with inflation-hiked operating costs and soaring energy costs.
Furthermore, the ongoing cost of living crisis has prevented many families from eating out as much as usual.
Despite this, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rate of inflation for the 12 months to March 2024 eased to 3.2 per cent.
