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Wendy's: Reading chosen by fast-food firm for UK comeback

Getty Images Wendy's restaurantGetty Images
Wendy's is a popular chain in the US

US fast-food chain Wendy's is set to open its first restaurant in the UK since leaving.

Reading is set to be home to the firm's first branch - almost 20 years after it closed its UK outlets to concentrate on its North American base.

Wendy's said it was planning to enter the UK market with "company-owned and operated" restaurants in early 2021.

A spokesman for the burger chain said it was "very much looking forward" to returning to the UK.

Getty Images Wendy's employeeGetty Images
A spokesman for Wendy's said the company intended to open restaurants in the UK early next year

A city council planning application revealed the chain is set to move to a former Nationwide bank in Reading's Station Road, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

It said it had chosen Reading due to the "right mixture of foot traffic", "a strong employee base" and it being a "major transport hub".

A spokesman said: "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."

In October US fast-food chain Chick-fil-A closed its first UK outlet amid a row over donations to anti-LGBT groups.