English fried chicken restaurant chain Wingers has announced Northern Ireland as a key target in its expansion strategy, aiming to open 30 new sites by 2025-end, reported The Irish News.

Known for its buttermilk fried chicken wings and tenders, the chain has successfully launched 14 restaurants since its first location in Aldridge.

Wingers co-founder Bill Sunner said: “When we first launched during the pandemic, we had no idea our top-notch, buttermilk fried chicken would take off like it has.

“As a result, Wingers has great potential for further growth.

“It now means there is a real opportunity for business-minded individuals looking to run a thriving franchise, and we are inviting applications for more experienced QSR [quick service restaurant] professionals in all parts of the country, including Northern Ireland, to join us on our expansion journey.”

Northern Ireland has become a hotspot for international chicken restaurant chains.

In recent years, it has welcomed establishments such as Popeyes, Chick-fil-A and Canada’s Mary Brown’s Chicken, with the latter using the region to test for its European ventures.

In a separate development, Wingers reported a 40% increase in comparable net sales for Q1 2025 over the same quarter in 2024.

Commenting on this update, Wingers co-founder and operations director Amran Sunner said: “Our efforts to grow brand awareness, support customer retention locally, backed up with targeted promotional campaigns, have all had a big impact. 

“For stores open and trading for 12 months, we have achieved incredible results based on an average of like-for-like net sales for the first quarter, traditionally not our busiest time of year.”