Tuesday, 6 October 2026
Rex Concepts is building a substantial pipeline of new restaurant locations across Poland, Czechia and Romania as it prepares to accelerate the expansion of its Burger King and Popeyes networks. The company plans more than 80 company-operated openings in 2027, with agreements already completed for around half of the required locations.
The group has opened 44 restaurants since the beginning of 2026, taking its directly operated network to 203 locations. Rex expects to exceed 70 openings by the end of this year, with agreements completed and construction underway for the remaining restaurants included in the 2026 programme.
The expansion is creating demand across several segments of the CEE retail property market. Rex operates restaurants in shopping-centre food courts and conventional retail units as well as standalone drive-through properties. Drive-throughs have accounted for 14 of this year’s 44 openings, increasing the company’s requirement for well-connected plots around retail parks, major roads and densely populated urban areas.
Rex is now concentrating on securing the remainder of its 2027 pipeline. With approximately half of next year’s locations already contracted, maintaining the planned pace of more than 80 annual openings will require another significant round of leases and site agreements over the coming months.
The company sees considerably more room for expansion beyond the current programme. Its assessment of Poland, Czechia and Romania indicates potential for around 1,500 quick-service restaurant locations across the three countries over the longer term. This represents estimated market capacity rather than a portfolio of sites currently controlled by Rex.
Its longer-term strategy envisages growing the network to around 850 restaurants by the end of 2032, including more than 700 directly operated locations alongside restaurants managed by franchise partners. That would require sustained property expansion across all three markets for several years.
Opening a new restaurant typically requires investment of approximately PLN 3 million to PLN 3.8 million, according to information previously provided by the company. The scale of the programme therefore represents a significant capital commitment alongside the property requirement associated with finding, developing and fitting out dozens of new locations each year.
For CEE landlords and developers, Rex’s expansion adds another active occupier to the region’s retail market. Shopping centres remain important to the group’s network, while the growing number of drive-through restaurants creates opportunities for retail parks and roadside developments where accessibility, visibility and vehicle traffic can support standalone food concepts.
With its 2026 pipeline already contracted and a substantial share of the following year’s locations secured, Rex is moving from rapid expansion towards a multi-year property programme. Poland, Czechia and Romania will remain at the centre of that rollout as the company builds the physical network required to support its longer-term growth ambitions.
