Fast food outlets are opening up across the country at a faster rate than stores are closing.
GapMaps, a cloud-based data intelligence platform, has released its monthly Fast Food & Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) Retail Network Report. This report tracked store openings and closures in Australia for June through August this year.
The report reveals overall the fast food footprint has grown by 31 stores in this period. GapMaps monitored 29 brands in 6,796 locations around the country and reported 64 new stores opened and 33 closed.
Leading fast food store openings were Domino’s Pizza (11), Guzman Y Gomez (five) Rosie’s Chicken (four), Hero Sushi (four) and Roll’d (four).
In this quarter closures were led by Subway with six stores, Pizza Hut five and Chicken Treat four.
Which states had the most store openings?
Twenty one outlets opened across Victoria and New South Wales, which was the largest share of new stores. However nine stores closed in Victoria, which was also the top number of closures.
Scott Johnson, senior analyst at GapMaps, said “Despite 33 store closures during the reporting period, we continue to see strong store growth overall, with 64 new premises added.
“This report provides our customers with valuable insights into the changing competitive landscape in the fast food and quick service restaurant sector,” he said.
“Location decisions continue to be impacted as brands adjust to new patterns of people movements, brought about by continued hybrid work arrangements and population shifts away from CBD and urban areas.”
According to this report, over the past 12 months KFC, McDonald’s, Sushi Hub and Domino’s have led the store openings. Collectively the four QSR chains had a net gain of 103 stores.
Subway remains the brand with the greatest footprint in Australian fast food with 1224 outlets.
As new brands enter the space, including the iconic US burger brand Wendy’s, Aussies will see more fast food store openings.
