McDonald's franchisee makes trio of acquisitions in latest expansion drive

Chamber patron and McDonald's franchisee Doug Wright has completed a hat-trick of acquisitions - growing his business to just under 3,000 staff members across 26 sites.

The latest expansion of Wright Restaurants (T/A McDonald's) includes two McDonald's DriveThru restaurants in Coseley and Bilston near Wolverhampton, as well as an innovative delivery hub.

Based at the nearby Springvale Industrial Park, the delivery hub is dedicated to handling orders placed through food ordering apps such as Uber Eats.

Mr Wright (pictured), who joined McDonald's when he left school 42 years ago and purchased his first franchise restaurant in 2002, said: “This is the biggest transaction we've been involved in since becoming a franchisee in 2002.

“It involves around 325 crew members and is the latest part of our velocity plan and our desire to keep expanding.

“As someone who has been part of McDonald's for 42 years, it's incredible to see how technology continues to develop within the business. The bespoke delivery hub will see orders routed straight into the dedicated kitchen, which looks and feels just like a restaurant kitchen, and will enable us to keep up with customer demand.

“It's very customer-centric. We want people to be able to order what they want, when they want and receive their orders as quickly as possible.”

Mr Wright, who received an MBE for services to charity and the local economy, now employs more than 2,900 staff members.

He added: “The exciting thing for me is to own a business of this scale and to be contributing so much to the regional economy.

“It is a real honour and to have created a business that helps provide job opportunities for those in local communities, and for crew members to have gone on and developed their own careers, some with the support of the apprenticeships programme we proudly offer.”

Henrietta Brealey, chief executive of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, said: “On behalf of everyone at the Chamber, I'd like to congratulate Doug on this latest expansion which further underlines the substantial contribution he and his business make to the West Midlands economy.

“This latest development is a significant one, as it demonstrates a commitment to innovation and embracing technology to meet the ever-changing needs of customers.”