A new Burger King drive-thru has been announced for Newport Leisure Park, creating around 40 new jobs and providing a new restaurant offering for the Park.
Commercial property agent Cooke & Arkwright acted on behalf of the franchisee – Swansea-based family firm Unionburger – to source the new site.
Handed over last week for the fit-out, it is anticipated that the site will be open for business on 30th July.
The site is owned by Otium Real Estate, a focused leisure property investment company that owns and manages assets across the UK, in cities such as Wakefield, Newport, Milton Keynes and the Isle of Wight.
Since purchasing the 11-acre site in July 2015, Otium has overseen a major transformation of the Park, securing new tenants including Energi, xercise4less, Home Bargains and Tiffins.
Huw Thomas, director at Cooke & Arkwright, who acquired the site on behalf of Unionburger, said: “The new venture will be the second Burger King in Newport, and Unionburger’s ninth in Wales – further driving Unionburger’s expansion in the region.
“We’re pleased to have been able to secure the site for Unionburger to grow its business and enable Burger King to expand its Welsh portfolio through an indigenous Welsh franchisee – we are keen to acquire other new sites along the M4 corridor in South Wales and the Border areas.”
Ashley Blake, CEO Otium Real Estate, said: “We are delighted to welcome Unionburger to Newport Leisure Park, ahead of its fit-out. The new Burger King drive-thru will complement our existing tenant line-up and enhance the Park’s offer to customers.”
Unionburger is a Swansea-based family company run by brother and sister Kim Jenkins and Chris Baker, which has been operating since 1983. Its last acquisition was on Commercial Street in Newport, which it acquired in September 2015.
Further Burger King drive-thrus are also scheduled for the Trostre area of Llanelli and in Barry.
Chris Baker, Company Director at Unionburger, said:
“We are excited to be opening our second restaurant in Newport. We anticipate that the opening will create in excess of 40 new jobs. This unit will be our first drive thru built to the new Burger King specification. The shell design has a more modern feel than that of our existing stores both internally and externally.
“The City is developing at a rapid pace with growth in both retail and residential sectors. The sheer number of new homes being built in the surrounding area give us every confidence that this new restaurant will be a worthy addition to our portfolio”.