NANDO’S is in the process of opening 14 new UK restaurants after returning to profit for the first time since the pandemic.
Nando’s has said it will continue to expand with new UK restaurants despite the uncertain economic backdrop putting pressure on customer budgets.
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The peri-peri chicken chain originally planned to open 14 new sites in the UK this financial year, which runs from February 2023 to February 2024.
So far, 10 of these restaurants have swung their doors open to customers.
The newest restaurant set to open will be located on New Road in Brighton.
The new site will open to diners in the new year and will leave Nando’s with three restaurants in Brighton in total.
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Nando’s will reveal the remaining three locations in which it plans to open more sites in due course.
The peri-peri chicken maker has already opened sites in:
- Belfast, Odyssey Pavilion (opened March)
- Worthing, Montague Centre (opened March)
- Brighton, London Road (opened June)
- Bridgwater, Northgate (opened June)
- Waterloo, The Sidings (opened June)
- Battersea Power Station (opened August)
- Limerick Crescent (opened August)
- Burnley, Pioneer Place (opened September)
- Cardiff, Capital Retail Park (opened September)
- Perth (opened October)
It came as the restaurant chain’s business, excluding South Africa, revealed it returned to profit for the first time since the pandemic struck in its latest set of financial accounts.
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Hospitality firms have faced a challenging period since the pandemic struck, with forced closures followed by sharp rises in energy, food and labour costs, while customer budgets have also tightened more recently.
Nando’s said in the accounts that cost inflation has remained “at elevated levels” into the current financial year.
The group said it has managed the impact of cost pressures but still expects these to “remain a significant drag” for the rest of 2023/24.
Rob Papps, group chief executive of Nando’s, said: “The macro-economic outlook for 2024 remains uncertain but we are continuing to invest for the future with further menu innovation, enhancements to our digital capabilities and new restaurant openings planned in all our markets, including 14 in the UK.”
It came as Nando’s Group Holdings swung to a £17million operating profit for the year to February 26, compared with a £1.2million operating loss a year earlier.
The company still however fell to a £86.2million pre-tax loss for the latest year after exceptional items.
Nando’s revealed the sales jumped by almost a fifth to £1.27billion for the year, up from £1.06billion a year earlier.
Sales jumped beyond pre-pandemic levels as it was boosted by a strong recovery in UK consumer demand as well as further restaurant openings.
Mr Papps added: “The 2023 financial year saw Nando’s deliver a steady recovery to pre-pandemic sales and a return to operating profit driven by strong consumer demand for our flame-grilled peri-peri chicken supported by our brand and customer proposition.
“Despite the improved sales performance, cost pressures including higher energy, labour and food prices remained a challenge.”
Nando’s currently operates out of 465 restaurants in the UK.
The news of Nando’s continued expansion comes following a flurry of openings announced across the food sector this year.
Bakery chain Greggs is set to open 150 new branches this year after opening a record 186 new stores in 2022.
It said it also has plans to relocate 40 shops to new, larger sites and trial a 24-hour drive thru service.
While, coffee giant Starbucks committed to open 100 new branches in the UK before the end of the year.
How can I save money when dining at Nando’s?
The home of peri-peri chicken has a loyalty points scheme which can give you money off your next meal so it’s worth joining the scheme.
You can download the Nando’s Rewards scheme on to your smart phone via Google Play or the Apple App Store.
You can also sign up via the chain’s website and then add the digital card to the your smart phone wallet.
Customers registering for the first time will also get a bonus Chilli.
Beyond the loyalty point offer, there’s a few ways you can save money next time you’re at Nando’s.
If you’re a group that’s big enough, try buying a combined meal instead or ordering separately.
Research by moneysavingexpert.com found you can save up to £10 opting for platters rather than individual meals.
For example, if you’re ordering two whole chickens and five large sides, it’ll cost you £60.05 if you’re buying the items separately.
But if you go for the “Family Platter” instead, you’ll pay £49.95 – £10.10 less.
Meanwhile, if you’re a fan of Perinaise, you could save some cash by making your own.
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A pot of the sauce costs £1.15 and is in essence just a mixture of mayonnaise and Peri Peri sauce.
But you can ask for a free portion of mayo at the counter and then stir in your Peri Peri sauce of choice from the condiments bar.
