One of the world’s largest fast food chains annually contributes around £9 million to Aberdeen’s economy .
It has been 45 years since the McDonald’s franchise started to trade in the UK.
And to mark the anniversary of the golden arches an independent report, carried out by Development Economics, builds on economic data McDonald’s published five years ago.
The report looks at McDonald’s contribution to UK’s cities, through jobs created in restaurants and the wider economic impact through its supply chain.
It details the many changes the business has undergone over the years to meet customer needs and the key challenges it faces as it heads towards its 50th year in 2024.
Overall, the report claims the business and its supply chain is estimated to be worth £3.36 billion annually to the UK economy – with the total economic contribution sitting at around £54.4 billion – spending £35.6bn with UK businesses and creating 2.1m jobs.
According to the report McDonald’s has contributed £149m to Scotland as a whole and has supported 9,616 jobs. By including suppliers and induced Gross Value Added (GVA), the total contribution in Scotland is £233m.
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Local franchisee Craig Duncan runs and operates three restaurants in Aberdeen, as well as another five across Elgin, Inverness and Peterhead.
In Aberdeen, he employs more than 280 people.
Mr Duncan said: “Creating and sustaining jobs across the city is of huge importance to me, and the fact that we have been able to make a significant financial contribution to the area is something my team and I are very proud of.
“We employ people based on their qualities not their qualifications but, as the worlds of business and education move closer, there’s no longer a need to decide between learning and earning.
“There’s also no such thing as a typical 9-5 at my restaurants. We know that people take a job with McDonald’s for all sorts of reasons, from wanting to earn some extra cash while studying at colleges or at Aberdeen University, to needing a flexible job that fits around childcare. That’s why it’s so important to us that we offer our employees flexible working options.”
