McDonald’s plans to launch 10,000 new restaurants by 2027, equating to an opening approximately every 4.5 hours. More than 7,000 these establishments will be situated in expanding markets such as China, India, Japan and Brazil.

The McDonald’s fast food chain is to open 10,000 new restaurants globally by 2027, in what will be its fastest-ever period of growth.

At a rate of roughly 2,000 new stores per year, it means a new McDonald’s will open somewhere in the world every 4.5 hours.

South Africa alone has more than 200 stores spread across the country.

McDonald’s has remained largely unaffected by unstable consumer spending, thanks to affordable menu items and aggressive marketing campaigns.

Last month, McDonald’s Corporation announced its ambitious new growth targets to advance its Accelerating the Arches strategy.

Graphic charts McDonald’s global store expansion. Source: Graphic News

McDonald’s President and CEO, Chris Kempczinski, said “As I’ve said before, there has never been a better time to be part of Brand McDonald’s. The McDonald’s System has demonstrated exceptional execution of our Accelerating the Arches strategy and is delivering tremendous results across our key growth pillars.

“We have a clear trajectory for future growth as we continue to build on the brand strength, global footprint and digital ecosystem that have resulted in unparalleled competitive advantages and cemented McDonald’s as one of the world’s leading consumer-facing brands,” he said.

McDonald’s has the industry’s largest delivery program globally – with 55,000 orders prepared and delivered to customers at any given moment. Customers can order delivery within the McDonald’s mobile app in five of the company’s top markets and the company said it was scaling this capability, expecting 30% of delivery orders to originate in its mobile app by 2027.

McDonald’s also said it was the largest McDonald’s Drive Thru player worldwide, with more than 27,000 McDonald’s Drive Thru locations.

GRAPHIC NEWS, BR REPORTER