Wendy's American burger chain to open up to 20 restaurants in Britain next year

Brits won't need to travel to America to get their Wendy's fix for much longer because there are plans for the burger chain to open in the UK.

This Is Money reports that top executives at the fast food retailer have revealed plans for a major UK launch next year which could include as many as 20 locations across the country.

The company reportedly told share holders it plans to open the first British restaurant in the next 12 months and has started looking for sites and franchise partners on this side of the Atlantic.

According to a documents seen by The Mail on Sunday, The Wendy's Company president of the international division and chief development officer Abigail Pringle said the firm is looking to cash in on the growth of fast food in the UK.

"We believe their overall growth in the quick service restaurant segment – and hamburger specifically – is growing and we believe we can be a challenger brand in that market and have great success," Pringle said.

"The United Kingdom will be our beachhead to European expansion. We believe it is a growing market and it has lots of great growth ahead of it.

"We also know that great American brands have been successful. Burger brands have been unbelievably successful there. But we believe that we can challenge those brands."

Wendy's famously square-shaped burgers range from the Jr. Hamburger at 240 calories through to the Bacon Jalepeno Triple Cheeseburger coming in at a whopping 1280 calories.

That's before we get to the salads, chicken dishes and breakfast options in which it even has croissant buns available.

For the more budget conscious there are meal deals and a value menu, much like Burger King and McDonalds offer - and it could all be available near you very soon.

Wendy's has more than 6,700 outlets in 30 countries around the world including the Americas, Asia and the Middle East, reports the Mirror .

The move into the UK would be seen as the first step into Europe for the third-largest burger chain in the world, after McDonald's and Burger King.

Pringle said the company has been researching the UK as a location for more than a year, adding: "We are going there with our eyes wide open and with a lot of insights and preparation.

"We have done landmark research with thousands of consumers in the UK. We have talked to them and engaged with them and what they think about the Wendy's brand.