McDonald's contributes £801.4m to South East economy employing more than 26,000 people

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To celebrate its 50th birthday in the UK, McDonald’s has commissioned an independent economic report, which reveals the incredible £801.4 million* contribution the business and its suppliers have made to the South East annually.

Without including its supply chain, in 2023 alone, McDonald’s direct economic contribution across the South East totalled approximately £401.2m**, with the 175 restaurants directly employing 22,240 people***.

Despite the turbulence of the last five years, with many businesses facing challenging times, McDonald’s has continued to invest in local towns and cities across the UK, where restaurants are often at the heart of the community.

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The ‘McDonald’s at 50’ report,was produced to understand the value McDonald’s has added to the UK economy, local communities, its employees, customers and suppliers since it first started operating in the UK. The new report was commissioned to mark McDonald’s 50th anniversary in the UK and builds on economic data published five years ago.

McDonald's team in Brighton litter picking in the community for Pride.McDonald's team in Brighton litter picking in the community for Pride.
McDonald's team in Brighton litter picking in the community for Pride.

It looks at McDonald’s significant contribution to the UK’s cities, through jobs created in restaurants and the wider economic impact through its supply chain.

In addition to restaurant jobs, the South East is home to one of McDonald’s biggest suppliers; Tropicana in Reading, which supplies fruit juice to all UK restaurants. Through partners, such as Tropicana, - and the wider induced effects of its operations and supply chain – McDonald’s contributes a further £400.3 million per annum to the South East economy and 4,430 extra jobs.

McDonald’s believes in playing an active role in the local communities in which it operates and through its programme, Makin’ It, in partnership with BBC Children in Need, is committed to partnering every restaurant across the UK with youth services.

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The initiative harnesses the power of youth work to provide safe, welcoming spaces in restaurants and funds programmes to provide training, real-world experience and opportunities for young people. Successful local McDonald’s partnerships include Motiv8 (Fareham), Medway Youth Servies (Medway) and Saints Foundation (Southampton).

Franchisees and their teams go above and beyond to give back to and champion their local communities. Most recently McDonald’s restaurants across Brighton took part in a mass litter pick following the Brighton Pride celebrations to clean up the local landmarks and streets ensuring a welcoming city to all visitors.

McDonald’s Franchisee Dave Padmore, who owns and operates eight restaurants across the South East, said:“Creating and sustaining jobs across the South East is of huge importance to me, and the fact that we have been able to make a significant financial contribution to the area is something my fellow Franchisees and I are very proud of.

"We have so many opportunities available to young people and it’s great to see so many of them taking advantage and gaining qualifications while they work – there is no longer a need to decide between learning and earning. I believe in investing in my staff and helping to provide them not only with an interesting and enjoyable place to work, but also to give them qualifications that they can draw upon throughout their life.

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"It’s also been amazing to see the impact McDonald’s restaurants are having across local communities. From community initiatives to litter picks and outreach programmes, our restaurants and crew are constantly thinking of ways to support their local communities.”

The report finds that overall, the business and its supply chain is estimated to be worth more than £7.25 billion annually to the UK economy (including wider, induced effects) – and that over the past 50 years, the total economic contribution is £94.45 billion, with £51.56 billion spent with UK supply chain businesses ****. McDonald’s growth over the last 50 years has seen the level of employment supported by McDonald’s and Franchisees increase from one restaurant in 1974 to 94,600 direct employees in 2013 to 171,415 in 2023.

* This figure is based on direct, indirect and induced economic output generated across the region. It is measured by Gross Value Added (GVA) which represents the value of output generated by a business or industry less the costs of production (excluding wages).

** This figure is based on the direct economic contribution to the region. It is measured by Gross Value Added (GVA), which is the value of output generated by a business or industry less the costs of production (excluding wages).

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*** This figure is based on the number of restaurants and direct employees within the region as of December 2023. It is based upon data provided by McDonald’s and individual franchisees.

**** The figures represent the sum of the estimated annual GVA impact and supply chain expenditure across the UK for each of the 50 years. It takes the cumulative values reported in 2019 and adds on data for the period to 2024. All figures have been converted to (and are presented on the basis of) 2023 prices.

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