How McDonald’s UK Supports Sustainable Supply Chains
It has been five decades since McDonald's opened its first restaurant in the UK, nestled in Woolwich, London. Since then, its operations have grown to 1,435 restaurants serving almost four million customers every day, with the support of its 200 franchisees and 171,415 crew members.
Despite the landmark anniversary, McDonald's is ready for the future. With plans to open more than 200 new restaurants in the next four years that will create more than 24,000 new jobs, signalling a £1 billion (approx US$1.3bn) investment from McDonald's and its franchisees in the UK and Ireland.
The success of McDonald's UK is underpinned by its commitment to relationships and a deep-rooted belief that everyone is at their best when the brand, its franchisees and suppliers all work together to deliver for the customers and the communities they all serve.
A responsibility to support the communities
Since 1974, McDonald's UK's cumulative impact on UK economic output (Gross Value Added) has been approximately £94.95 billion (Approx US$126.31bn, 2023 prices): The scale of McDonald's UK's restaurant portfolio, coupled with its strong relationship with the hundreds of UK businesses in its supply chain, means that McDonald's make a major contribution to the UK economy – having a presence in every region of the UK.
Alistair Macrow, Chief Executive Officer, McDonald's UK & Ireland, says: "As one of the biggest brands in the UK, we have a responsibility to support the communities we serve and the employment opportunities we provide are a big part of this.
"Whether it's someone's first job, or the latest of many, we remain committed to supporting the people who make the McDonald's experience happen in every one of our restaurants. As we look to what's next, we'll continue to give every single person in our business the opportunity to thrive, to grow and to succeed, all whilst making changes to ensure the McDonald's crew experience is the best it can be."
In 2023, over 170,000 people worked at McDonald's across the UK: McDonald's says its people are at the heart of what it does and it believes in supporting each and every one of them, investing £62.5 million (Approx US$83.1m) in training in 2023. The restaurant is committed to career progression opportunities for young people.
81,000 members of its current UK workforce were hired when they were under 18 and almost 20,000 of them have developed and progressed in their career with McDonald's including: 14 franchisees; two Directors of Operations; 28 Operations or Franchisee Consultants and over 100 of its Corporate Employees.
How McDonald's reduce the emissions
Reduced carbon emissions from McDonald's UK's logistics fleet are equivalent to taking 19,900 cars off the road each year. Working closely with its logistics partner, Martin Brower, McDonald's UK has been able to reduce the emissions associated with delivering ingredients and packaging to its network of restaurants.
40% of the fuel used to power the logistics fleet comes from biodiesel, reducing its carbon emissions by 16,250 tons each year when compared to a traditional fleet.
Supporting the UK's supply chain
McDonald's UK partners with hundreds of UK suppliers, providing support to many small and medium-sized businesses including over 23,000 British and Irish farmers that provide its ingredients.
In 2023, the total direct expenditure with UK-based supply chain businesses amounted to more than £2.09 billion (Approx US$2.78bn), with a total of £51.56 billion (Approx US$68.59bn) spent over the 50 years since opening.
Where possible, McDonald's seeks to source goods and services domestically, with more than 80% of its supply chain expenditure directed to businesses with a presence in the UK, helping to drive growth in the wider economy.
Alistair adds: "We've come a long way in the last half century. Our business will continue to evolve to meet the needs of our customers and communities - whether that's with new restaurant formats giving people more ways to enjoy their favourite McDonald's meal, our ongoing commitment to support our people at every step of their career, or the evolution of our support for our suppliers as they tackle sustainability challenges".
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