Leon is set to open more than 50 restaurants across the UK next year as part of a newly unveiled growth strategy.
The EG Group-owned healthy fast food chain had previously announced it was to open 20 restaurants next year.
Now, it has revealed plans to double the pace of its store rollout programme, including its first Scottish and Welsh restaurants.
Leon’s aims to create 1,000 new jobs next year, and a total of 4,000 roles over the next three years.
“We are very excited to announce a significant acceleration of Leon’s expansion,” said Leon restaurants’ MD Glenn Edwards.
“For the first time we will be taking Leon across the country, driving regional growth at speed. Making Leon even more accessible is at the heart of this strategic expansion.
“We are absolutely focused on delivering for our customers and living up to Leon’s mission – making it easier for everybody to eat well, live well and be kind to the planet.”
The new restaurants will include both traditional and new formats, such as its drive-thrus (the first opened in West Yorkshire this year), as well as smaller restaurants on petrol forecourts and other Asda premises, and Leon To Go coffee outlets.
The company is also branching out to Scotland, Wales and even The Netherlands – where it will open 11 new stores as part of its wider European expansion programme.
Leon was bought by the Issa brothers in April this year, joining a swathe of other foodservice brands such as KFC, Subway and Greggs that are also run from EG’s petrol stations.
EG Group co-CEOs Mohsin and Zuber Issa said: “When EG Group purchased Leon this year, we saw a great brand with substantial potential for growth. We’re pleased that the business is now set to deliver on that promise, both in the UK and Europe.
“Our investment in Leon, coupled with EG’s unparalleled operational excellence in foodservice operations, is unlocking considerable value and will help to deliver significant future growth and continue the diversification of EG’s business.”
Since the EG acquisition, the Henry Dimbleby-founded fast food chain has opened new sites in Asda Milton Keynes and Asda Holtspur in Beaconsfield. Currently, its supermarket range of products is still sold exclusively at Sainsbury’s stores.
The restaurant expansion programme will be followed by additional investment into digital platforms across its sites, such as new digital kiosks and menu screens.
The Leon at Home range is also set to expand, offering more products across grocery, cookbooks and homeware.
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