Thousands queue for opening of London Jollibee

The wildly popular Philippine fast-food chain Jollibee opened in London, with queues of thousands stretching around the Earl's Court block where the restaurant is located.

Doors opened on Saturday, with the first 100 customers receiving free Chickenjoy meals.

Jollibee has 1,300 branches worldwide, with the UAE boasting six. The first opened at The Dubai Mall in June 2015. There are now branches in Mall of the Emirates, BurJuman Centre, Al Ghurair Centre, one in Sharjah and two in Abu Dhabi. Jollibee has plans to open 100 more stores across the GCC by 2020.

The brand is aiming to generate half of its sales outside the Philippines within seven years, and expects to have 50 restaurants open in Europe over the next five years, the majority of which will be in Britain.

"It [Britain] has a big Filipino population and it has a big fried chicken market," Jollibee chief executive Ernesto Tanmantiong told Reuters.

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