Thousands queue for opening of London Jollibee

Jollibee CEO Ernesto Tanmantiong opens the first Jollibee restaurant in the UK, in London, Britain. Reuters

The name sign of the first Jollibee restaurant in the UK is seen, in London, Britain.

Thousands of people queued up ahead of the opening Reuters

Jollibee has 1,300 branches world-wide, with the UAE boasting six Reuters

The London branch opened its doors on October 20, with the first 100 customers recieving free Chickenjoy meals Reuters

Jollibee London is located at 180-182 Earls Court Road, London SW5 9QG. Reuters

The brand is aiming to generate half its sales outside the Philippines within seven years, and expect to have 50 restaurants open in Europe over the next five years Reuters

"It {Britain} has a big Filipino population and it has a big fried chicken market," CEO Ernesto Tanmantiong told Reuters Reuters

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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