Subway plans to open up to 70 additional restaurants inside Asda supermarkets over the next four years, expanding a partnership that already operates more than 120 Subway locations across the retailer’s UK estate.
The expanded development agreement would increase the number of Subway restaurants in Asda stores by more than 50%, providing the sandwich chain with additional outlets in established retail locations.
The proposed openings form part of Subway’s wider expansion strategy across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, where the company is targeting a doubling of its operating footprint to approximately 10,000 restaurants by 2031.
The agreement builds on an existing relationship between the two retailers. Asda has expanded its in-store Subway portfolio to more than 120 locations, creating a base from which the companies intend to develop additional sites.
Locating a food outlet inside a supermarket provides access to customers visiting the premises for other purchases. It also creates opportunities to make use of established property, parking and customer facilities, although the commercial arrangements and operating responsibilities depend on the agreement between the businesses.
The expansion could support additional trading opportunities for Subway and its development partners while broadening the food options available within participating Asda stores. Individual locations will still need to meet requirements around customer demand, suitable space, staffing and food preparation.
Subway operates internationally through independently owned and operated franchise restaurants. Its expansion strategy depends on agreements with partners responsible for developing and operating outlets across different markets.
The company has not disclosed the financial value of the expanded Asda agreement, the individual locations selected for the additional restaurants or the number of jobs expected to be created.
The target of up to 70 new outlets therefore represents planned development under the agreement, rather than a confirmed schedule of completed openings. Further details will be needed to establish how the programme is distributed across the four-year period.
Beyond Britain, Subway has signed six new master franchise agreements over the preceding 18 months, covering 14 countries across Central Europe, Azerbaijan, the Nordic region, Iberia and Qatar.
One agreement with Emerging Bites covers plans for 300 restaurants across Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia and the Czech Republic over ten years. Subway has also entered Azerbaijan through a separate partnership with N Sky Build.
The company’s expansion has been supported by growth in digital ordering. It reported an increase of more than 20% in digital sales across its designated EMEA region during the year to date, while average unit volumes reached a record high.
Subway did not provide a specific financial figure for those average unit volumes in its latest update. Digital sales growth describes sales through channels including its app, kiosks and delivery services, rather than an equivalent increase in total restaurant revenue.
Future restaurant development will also incorporate the company’s Blueprint format, which combines revised interiors, digital ordering facilities and changes to the customer experience. From 1 January 2027, Subway intends to make the format standard for new restaurants and remodelled locations across its designated EMEA operating region.
The regional expansion target uses a broader geographic definition that includes India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. That distinction is relevant when assessing the scale of its ambition, because it extends beyond the conventional boundaries of Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
For the UK market, the latest development is the enlargement of the Asda partnership. The agreement establishes a route for Subway to open additional restaurants within an existing national supermarket network, with the actual increase in outlets depending on the sites developed over the coming four years.
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