Burger King is creating 25 jobs in Wrexham.
They are opening a new branch at the Eagles Meadow shopping centre on December 21 just in time for the final Christmas rush.
It will be run on behalf of the American fast-food giant by Kout Food Group (KFG), and is part of a UK-wide expansion, with Burger King looking to open 200 branches around the country in the coming months and to revamp other restaurants.
According to Eagles Meadow Manager Kevin Critchley, the news was an “excellent birthday present” for the shopping centre that’s just celebrated its fifth birthday.
Since the centre opened in 2008 the number of shoppers who go there every year has risen by 500,000 to more than three million annually.
More than 1,000 people work at the Eagles Meadow where shoppers spend an estimated £165 million every year.
Mr Critchley said: “This branch of Burger King will be opening just in time for the last of the Christmas rush and then for the New Year sales, when we expect to be extremely busy.
“I’m also delighted to welcome 25 new members into the growing Eagles Meadow team.
“The arrival of Burger King is yet another vote of confidence in Eagles Meadow, we’re still going strong. We’re still attracting customers, and we’re still attracting tenants and retailers.
“Part of it is a good mix of shopping, restaurants and leisure facilities we’ve got here. I think without Eagles Meadow Wrexham as a town would not have such a strong shopping offer.
“One reason I think we’ve thrived so much is that we’re actually complementing the whole offer within the town rather than trying to compete with it.
“One of the things we looked at very early is that there were a lot of people from Wrexham who went out to shop in Chester, or in Shrewsbury or points north of that. We’re a reason why they don’t have to do that.
“People don’t have to spend the petrol and the time travelling elsewhere. Just come into town. There’s plenty on offer here. We’ve got retail offers that you only get in larger cities normally and the new Burger King will give people another reason to come here.”
The 300 sq feet restaurant will seat 100 people and boasts Burger King’s new global design, with sociable eating areas plus new digital menu screens.
Rebecca Phillips, Director of Burger King at KFG said: “We believe that Eagles Meadow shopping centre is the perfect location for our Burger King branch. It’s a busy place that’s popular throughout the day with shoppers and into the evening when people are out socialising.
“We had a great response to our recruitment drive – the 25 full and part-time staff we have taken on have all now undergone training and are ready to start their new roles.”
The new branch will be running events to support Room To Read, Burger King’s nominated charity, which works with governments and communities across Africa and Asia to support develop literacy skills and a lifelong habit of reading in children.
