American fast-food chain Wendy's is coming to Oxford

Wendy’s, a popular burger restaurant chain in the US, will open one of its first UK stores at 1 Magdalen Street.

The unit next to Debenhams used to house shoe shop Schuh before it moved to the Westgate.

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The site is also next door to the Flying Tiger gift shop.

Having received outline planning permission for the change of use last year, the company is now forging ahead with its plans and has recently submitted its designs for the new shopfront to Oxford City Council.

The most recent planning application that has been approved included a new shop front, featuring the Wendy’s logo.

American diner chain Wendy’s has submitted plans to open a branch in the former Schuh shop in Oxford 07/02/2021 Picture by Ed Nix

The planning permission for the new takeaway store was given to the fast-food chain as the council said the site would fit in with its 2036 Local Plan for development in the city.

The new fast-food restaurant will be one of several new businesses opening around George Street, Magdalen Street and Cornmarket in Oxford city centre.

Last month it was revealed that the recently-closed Debenhams department store could be converted into a hotel or office space.

Debenhams was forced to close after its parent company Arcadia went into administration and the landlords of the Oxford store building announced it had plans for the site.

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It is yet to be confirmed whether the store will become a hotel.

In December of last year, plans were published to convert the family-run department store Boswell’s on Cornmarket into a luxury four-star hotel.

Wendy’s will be close to both of these new businesses.

The US burger giant, behind only McDonald’s and Burger King in terms of size and success in its homeland, could open hundreds of outlets around the country in a new attempt to break into the British fast-food market.

In July of last year, the popular US fast-food joint announced that it would reopen a Wendy’s in the UK, 20 years after it closed its UK outlets to focus on its North America base.

 

The fast-food chain opened restaurants in the UK in 1992 but pulled out seven years later due to high real estate and operating costs.

It was announced that Reading would host the first new Wendy’s in the UK.

Oxford will be the second Wendy’s to open in the country under current plans.

American diner chain Wendy’s has submitted plans to open a branch in the former Schuh shop in Oxford.07/02/2021.Picture by Ed Nix..

A spokesman for the burger chain said it was ‘very much looking forward’ to reopening stores across the UK.

He added: “I can confirm that Reading will be our first site and that the brand is very much looking forward to it and excited about the future as we enter this market.”

Wendy’s has more than 6,700 outlets in 30 countries around the world.

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