Burger King chief admits it could have to close outlets with 1,600 jobs at risk

Only about 370 of the restaurant chain's 530 UK stores have reopened since the nation went into lockdown.

Chief executive Alasdair Murdoch told the BBC's Newscast the economic damage stemming from the crisis could ultimately force the company to permanently close up to 10 per cent of its stores.

He told Newscast: ‘We don't want to lose any (jobs). We try very hard not to, but one's got to assume somewhere between 5 per cent and 10 per cent of the restaurants might not be able to survive.

‘It's not just us - I think this applies to everyone out there in our industry.’

In April Burger King’s Havant branch became the first of its outlets to open since lockdown began, and later reopened more of its branches across the UK.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak on Wednesday unveiled a £30b support package to help boost the nation's economic recovery, which included plans to subsidise restaurant bills throughout August to encourage people to dine out.

However Mr Murdoch added that government schemes do not do enough to compensate restaurants for the combination of fixed costs and lost sales throughout the pandemic, telling Newscast: ‘I don't think you can ever get over the top of this problem.’

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