A MAJOR US fast food chain has confirmed the exact locations of its first UK restaurants, The Sun can reveal.

American fast food giant Chick-fil-A is crossing the pond and bringing its beloved chicken sandwiches to our high streets next year.

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The Sun can exclusively reveal the exact locations of their first five UK restaurants.

Chick-fil-A operates more than 3,000 sites across the U.S., Puerto Rico and Canada.

As part of its UK-wide expansion, the fast food chain has confirmed that it will open two restaurants in Belfast and single sites in Leeds, Liverpool, and London.

The sites will open over two years starting in 2025, and Chick-fil-A has now opened applications for those wishing to take on a franchise.

The brand’s initial expansion into the UK will create approximately 400 new jobs.

Anita Costello, chief international officer at Chick-fil-A, Inc, told The Sun: “Serving communities is at the heart of everything we do, and we look forward to bringing Chick-fil-A’s delicious food and signature hospitality to Belfast, Leeds, Liverpool and London, and continuing our long-term investment in the U.K.

“From job creation to supporting local causes, we are excited about the positive impact our first restaurants will have in the communities they serve.”

We’ve already had a first taste of what will be on the menu when the first store opens next year.

Several signature items, including the chain’s most popular menu item, the original Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich, nuggets, and waffle fries, will be venturing across the pond.

The brand’s expansion into the UK will also bring tasty but unfamiliar options not commonly available in the UK, including savoury biscuits and ranch-flavoured dipping sauces.

Chick-fil-A’s UK-based restaurants plan to serve chicken sourced from the UK and Ireland, along with 100% free-range eggs from welfare-certified farms.

For now, eager fans of the chain will need to hold tight to find out exactly what will be served in its UK restaurants.

Ahead of its high street launch, The Sun visited the company’s headquarters in Atlanta to find out what the fuss is all about.

Chick-fil-A is a family-run business that operates a franchise-style system.

Anyone can apply to operate a restaurant, and applications for potential franchisees wishing to open a UK restaurant are now open.

However, Chick-fil-A’s model differs from other fast food chains we know in the UK – like McDonald’s, KFC or Burger King – as franchisees don’t own the sites themselves.

Franchisees – or operators, as they are known – run the businesses daily, but Chick-fil-A owns the rest, including the brick-and-mortar site.

This means the company owns the actual restaurant, while the franchisee operates the business on their behalf, resulting in a smaller outlay and less risk for operators.

In the US, the initial franchise agreement costs just $10,000 (£7,932), while a McDonald’s franchise typically costs between £350k and £1,85 million in the UK.

Chick-fil-A also only lets its operators run up to three stores, and the majority of them only run a single location.

With other fast food chains, you can run several at once and even build a mini-empire, though that requires significant investment.

Like in the US, each UK restaurant will be able to participate in Chick-fil-A’s Shared Table programme.

This initiative redirects surplus food from Chick-fil-A restaurants to local soup kitchens, shelters, food banks, and non-profits in need.

Joanna Symonds, head of UK operations, said: “We’ve always cared about the impact of our restaurants on the local communities that we serve, and we strive to positively impact areas throughout the UK”

US FAST FOOD EXPANSION INTO THE UK

Chick-fil-A is not the only US fast-food chain to have taken a leap across the pond in recent years.

In July, Dave’s Hot Chicken announced plans to open 60 restaurants across the UK and Ireland.

Popeyes entered the UK market in 2021 and has proved to be a hit with ravenous customers ever since.

In just 30 months, the brand opened over 38 restaurants across the UK.

It has plans to reach the 60-restaurant milestone by the end of 2024.

US burger chain Wendy’s, which already has 31 sites in the UK, will also cut the ribbon on eight new locations this year.

The chain returned to the UK high street in 2021 after a 20-year hiatus.

Wendy’s is most famous for its square-shaped hamburgers, designed to maximize the amount of meat in every bite.

Shake Shack, which started out as a hotdog cart, recently opened its first restaurant inside a UK train station.

Brits commuting in St. Pancras International Station can now grab their favourite burgers before jumping onto their train.

The new spot marks the fast food giant’s 16th location in the UK since it was launched in Covent Garden in 2013.

While most of Shake Shack’s UK sites are based in London, bosses have expanded into other locations in recent years, including Essex, Oxford, and Cardiff.

Shake Shack’s humble beginnings trace back to a New York hot dog cart helmed by Randy Garutti.

Wingstop currently operates 39 sites across the UK and will open 15 more in 2024.

Lemon Pepper Holdings, which runs the fast food chain’s UK portfolio, said the move would create up to 750 jobs.

The US hospitality brand said it is its biggest year of expansion since launching Wingstop in the UK six years ago.

Dunkin’ Donuts, which currently has 30 stores in the UK, hopes to open 30 new branches over the next couple of years as part of a major expansion plan.

Dunkin’ Donuts landed in the UK in St John’s in Liverpool in May 2016.

The chain is huge in the US, with almost 9,500 stores spread across the country.

It sells a range of doughnuts, other sweet treats, and hot and cold drinks.

HOPES that the much-loathed business rates system would be totally ditched in new reforms were dashed by the Government yesterday.

Exchequer Secretary James Murray confirmed at the Labour conference that any fresh system would still aim to raise the same sum of money from firms.

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Speaking of the overhaul, the Ealing North MP — who has responsibility for the rates — told a British Retail Consortium fringe event in Liverpool: “It’s within the current envelope. It’s all about raising the same amount of money overall, that’s the commitment.”

The Treasury is expected to collect £30billion in the next year from unavoidable business rates — of which retail will pay around £8billion, some 11 per cent of the entire sector’s profits.

There are warnings a failure to create a fairer system will lead to 17,300 more shop closures over the next decade.

The British Retail Consortium argues that retail, as the biggest private sector employer, pays more than its fair share and should have a 20 per cent “rates corrector”.

Shop bosses have argued that rates are the biggest barrier to hiring new staff.

Nick Stowe, CEO of Monsoon Accessorize, which shut 100 shops in the aftermath of the pandemic, said: “We’re trying to convince ourselves to open in places like Durham and it’s really difficult.

We have landlords giving us stores rent-free, but rates are still so high, we can’t do it.”

Confirming he had cut staff, he added: “The knock-on effect is we’re busy trying to squeeze down things that I’m sure the Labour Government don’t want us to squeeze down.”

Matalan boss Jo Whitfield said business rates were a “real barrier” for retail and it was hard to justify keeping shops open in areas of falling sales.

She said the BRC plan for a rates corrector would “almost immediately” prompt retailers to invest in stores.

Mr Murray said Labour wanted to level the playing field between the high street and online, but the BRC called business rates a 20-year failure.

We’ll come to Wrexham

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THE Hollywood effect has trickled into the rental market — with Wrexham now the busiest UK area for tenants.

The Welsh city has boomed since Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney bought its football club in 2021 and Netflix screened its Welcome to Wrexham series.

It now has 54 rental inquiries for every property, according to Rightmove. The demand is nearly three times the national average of 19 inquiries.

Glasgow is the second most in-demand city, with 52 inquiries per property, and Bristol close behind on 51.

High demand has kept average rents rising by 8.5 per cent — four times the average rate of inflation, official figures show.

Tim Bannister at Rightmove said: “To be receiving upwards of 50 inquiries per property is astonishing. It shows work still needs to be done to improve the balance of supply and demand.”

Irn Bru’s fizzed up by Euros

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THE maker of Irn Bru said its tongue-in-cheek Euros campaign had paid off, with strong sales of “Scotland’s other national drink”.

AG Barr yesterday reported it had shrugged off a soggy summer and Scotland’s early exit in the football tournament with higher sales and market share growth in England.

Its cheeky advert played on the German word for football team, “Mannschaft” and it was deemed one of the best campaigns of the Euros.

Overall, the soft drink maker posted a 5.2 per cent rise in overall sales to £221.3million, but its pre-tax profits were 10 per cent lower due to the closure of its delivery business, Barr Direct.

Euan Sutherland, the former Superdry, Saga and Co-op chief who recently took charge, said “AG Barr’s an excellent business with exciting, tangible and deliverable growth opportunity.”

Pay rise a red card

CARD FACTORY, the budget greetings retailer, has blamed the rising national living wage for a near-halving of its profits.

The chain, which has more than 1,070 stores across the UK and Ireland, reported a 43 per cent slump to £14million, despite sales rising by 3.7 per cent in the six months to July.

The firm said it had faced £64.4million of extra staffing costs compared to last year. Its value slumped by a fifth yesterday as investors dumped shares.

THE cost of fixing a blocked sink or broken boiler can now be split on Klarna’s Buy Now Pay Later scheme.

The Swedish finance firm has partnered with small business platform XERO so tradesmen can accept payments in interest-free instalments.

OVER half a million young people are thought to be missing out on an average of £2,212 which is being held in forgotten bank accounts.

Child Trust Funds are long-term, tax-free savings accounts which were set up for every child born between September 2002 and January 2 2011.

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The Government deposited £250 for every child during that time period, or £500 if they came from a low income family earning around £16,000 a year or below.

An extra £250 or £500, depending on their families’ economic status, was deposited when the child turned seven.

In 2010, this was reduced to £50 for better off households and £100 for those on a lower income.

The scheme was eventually scrapped in 2011 as part of cost-cutting measures following the 2009 financial crisis and was later replaced with Junior ISAs.

Currently, parents or friends can deposit up to £9,000 into the child’s account tax-free, with the money usually invested into shares.

The youngest children across Britian to have these accounts are about 13 years old, so have around five years before they can access the cash.

It is important to note that savings in these accounts are not held by the Government but are held in banks, building societies or other saving providers. 

The money stays in the account until it’s withdrawn or re-invested.

Young people can take control of their Child Trust Fund at 16, but can only withdraw funds when they turn 18 and the account matures.

However, new figures released by the HMRC have found that more than 670,000 18-22 year olds are yet to claim their Child Trust Fund.

The tax office said that the average savings pot is worth £2,212.

Angela MacDonald, HMRC’s second permanent secretary and deputy chief executive, said the government wants to “reunite young people with their money and we’re making the process as simple as possible.”

She added: “You don’t need to pay anyone to find your Child Trust Fund for you, locate yours today by searching ‘find your Child Trust Fund’ on GOV.UK.”

How to track down a Child Trust Fund

If you were born in the UK between 2002 and 2006 it is worth checking to see if you have cash in a Child Trust Fund.

Parents were either given a voucher to set one up or HMRC set one up on a child’s behalf.

There are a number of third party groups offering to search for Child Trust Funds but it worth noting that they will charge a fee so you might loose a chunk of your money.

The Government has a free tool you can use online to help track down your fund.

You can find this by searching for “find a Child Trust Fund” on GOV.UK.

You’ll need to have a few personal details to hand to do the search, including your date of birth and National Insurance (NI) number.

Your NI number remains the same for your entire life. It’s made up of two letters, six numbers and a final letter. 

You can find this number on your payslips or by downloading the HMRC app, which can be downloaded on the Apple or Google Play Store.

When you’re done filling this out, HMRC will then send you a letter revealing what company has your Child Trust Fund.

What to do once you have claimed the money

Usually, people put the cash straight into a bank account, invest it, or transfer it into an ISA.

You can also ask your Child Trust Fund Provider to give you the money and get it cashed into your bank account.

This way you’ll need to share the bank account details you wish to transfer the cash into with HMRC.

But if you’d rather invest it, you can transfer it into an ISA.

The Sun recently broke down whether or not an ISA is right for you, which you can read here.

ASDA shoppers are delighted after discovering a Cadbury chocolate advent calendar is selling for just 85p in stores.

The deal has been shared on the Extreme Couponing and Bargaining Facebook group and users are shocked by the reduced price.

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The advent calendar is selling in stores for 85p.

It is a Cadbury Dairy milk advent calendar, containing 24 milk chocolates in various festive shapes.

On the Cadbury website, the calendar sells for £2.25, meaning this Asda bargain is 62% discounted from the original price.

One excited member commented: “I’m going to go look for this after work”.

While another person responded: “get me one if they do have it please”.

The item is available in store and online on the Asda website for the bargain price

When we searched around, we couldn’t find an offer cheaper than this one for the same advent calendar.

On Ocado the calendar is priced at £2.25, which is still 62% pricier than Asda.

And in Poundland you can buy the calendar for £2.75, making the Asda purchase almost a 70% save.

And for shoppers looking for something a bit different, Asda’s entire advent calendar range is available online and in store.

White chocolate lovers can purchase a white chocolate Cadbury Calendar for £2, which is selling on Amazon for as much as £8.89 – meaning an entire £6.89 off your purchase.

Shoppers can also satisfy their sweet tooth at Asda with Maltesers, Milkybar, Galaxy or Terry’s Chocolate Orange options, both for the price of £2.50.

In comparison, Morrisons is selling the Galaxy Smooth Milk Chocolate Christmas for £3.25, which is 75p extra.

There is also a Swizzels Sweet Shop calendar available for £6.00, which is sold in other retailers such as Selfridges for £8.99 – meaning a £2.99 save.

Other places already offering great deals on low priced advent calendars include Poundland and Home Bargains.

Poundland sells alternative non-chocolate calendar options, such as a Hot Wheels or Christmas barbie advent for as cheap as £1.

And in Home Bargains, punters can buy a Polar Express or Grinch style calendar for £1.25.

Despite these low prices, the iconic Asda Cadbury advent was still the cheapest option we found online.

To find your nearest Asda store, use the store locator tool on the retailer’s website.

And to secure the best prices, make sure you shop around, by comparing prices in Whats New or Deals via multiple retailers’ websites.

What else is new for Christmas items in Asda?

Asda have released a full Christmas range already – from Christmas dinner items, to bakery goods, to Christmas gifts and festive drink products.

On the Asda website you can “build your own cheeseboard”, with cheeses starting from £1.95.

The Wensleydale Creamery Hot and Spicy cheddar is currently reduced at £1.95 from £2.20.

For £3.25, punters can also buy a box of 12 pigs and blankets, and 12 Golden Yorkshire Puddings for 220g.

There are also great deals on wine, where if you buy 6 bottles you save 25% off – perfect for those hosting Christmas this year.

And Christmas gift sets start from just £4.00, such as the Lynx Africa duo which is selling on the Boots website for £8 – double the price.

However, Boots is also great for gift sets, with up to 2,212 options to shop from.

For example, if you’re just looking for something small, hand cream gift sets only cost the punter £2.50 on the Boots website.

In order to get the best prices, we recommend you shop around before you buy.

To compare prices efficiently, use the “sort by” tools on each retailer’s website, so you can see the cheapest items first and surf the best deals.

Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.

Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories

A TERRACED house has hit the market for FREE – but buyers may be stunned at what they find inside.

The property steal up for grabs, in New Tredegar, Wales, holds endless potential for those with renovation projects in mind.

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As reported by WalesOnline, the home is in dire need of a complete revamp – after being ravaged by a fire.

It’s in a “sorry state of repair”, but for a £0 price tag – auctioneers predict the house will attract plenty of bidders.

Inside there is hoards of room to create a large home, or even transform the space into flats.

Sean Roper from Paul Fosh Auctions said: “The terraced house is in the village of New Tredegar, and comes with sweeping valley views.

“The village benefits from a good range of amenities and shops and is ideally situated for access to Bargoed and Blackwood.”

The property is located a commutable distance away from the M4, as well as Newport and Cardiff.

Merthyr Tydfil, Aberdare and Abergavenny are also accessible.

Sean added: “Although severely damaged in the fire and now partially stripped out, the building, which is being sold with vacant possession, appears to offer three rooms on the ground floor.

“There are a further four rooms on the first floor with three to four rooms on the lower ground floor with a bathroom area. The property has a rear garden and is served with a lane access.

“Listed with a £nil reserve this large property with huge potential could end up being sold at auction for a matter of just a few hundred pounds depending on interest and a developer’s appetite for the challenge.”

The property is welcoming bids online by Paul Fosh Auctions from 12pm on Tuesday, October 1.

Bidding will come to a close on 5pm on Thursday, October 3.

It comes as the UK’s ‘cheapest house’ is also on the market from an unbelievable £0 – but it may be difficult to find the front door.

Homebuyers may be excited to find the Welsh property on sale in the village of Dyffryn Cellwen in the Upper Dulais Valley, for such an astonishing price.

The 6,156 sq ft home is located on the outskirts of the beautiful Bannau Brycheiniog national park, with convenient access to the A4109 leading to Swansea.

However prospective buyers will have to go “in with their eyes wide open” as the house is definitely considered a ‘fixer upper’, completely overgrown with brambles and foliage.

Elsewhere in the UK, an ordinary three-bedroom flat went on the market for £115,000 – but inside it’s like “stepping into Narnia”.

Meanwhile, a man who brought a crumbling castle that was once fit for a king revealed how he bagged a royal’s paradise for just £1.

Martin Higgins, 60, from Brockham in Surrey, bought Betchworth Castle for cheap after the local council refused to restore it.

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A HUGE deadline date in the car finance mis-selling scandal has been pushed back by the regulator.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is currently carrying out an investigation into whether motorists were unknowingly overcharged on historical loans.

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Those who bought a car, motorbike or van on finance before January 28, 2021, could be owed potentially thousands of pounds.

The FCA is in the process of finding out how many motorists have been affected and what compensation customers will receive and had intended to publish the outcome of its investigation this month.

However, the publishing date has been pushed back to May 2025 and the date firms have to respond to customer complaints to December 4, 2025.

The FCA says it has had to push back the deadline due to it taking “longer than expected to get the data” it needed from implicated car finance firms.

Investigators have also been unable to complete their review because of a pending court case surrounding one of the complaints.

It’s worth nothing, the FCA’s decision to extend the deadline to December 4 next year is just when firms have to have respond to any complaints.

Customers can still complain to their providers before this point, and in some cases there are time limits for doing so.

You can find more information about any time limits on the FCA website.

What is the Car Finance Discretionary Commission Scandal?

The Car Finance Discretionary Commission Scandal affects those who bought a car, motorbike or van on finance before January 28, 2021.

After this date, city watchdog the FCA banned lenders from using “discretionary commission arrangements” (DCAs).

DCAs allowed brokers to increase interest rates on car finance loans, which in turn saw their commission bumped up.

It has been classed as an unfair practice because drivers weren’t told about the DCAs and therefore thought any deals were a fixed price that they couldn’t negotiate on.

Anyone who took out a vehicle on finance before January 28, 2021, could have been unfairly paying more than they should have.

The FCA has now launched an investigation to see how many people have been impacted.

MSE’s website has a useful checklist on who might be in line for money back.

It also has a list of firms who are unlikely to have handed out dodgy deals and therefore don’t owe customers money.

How to claim

Consumer website MoneySavingExpert.com has a page on its website with an email template you can use to complain to your firm.

Or, you can complain directly to them without using the template.

In the complaint, you should ask whether you were overcharged due to your broker getting paid commission and ask the company to correct this if that is what happened.

If you’re not satisfied with the company’s response, you can take your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) for free.

You have until July 29, 2026, or up to 15 months from the date of their final response letter, whichever is longest.

Be wary of using a claims management firm to help you claw back any overpaid car finance as you’ll have to pay it a portion of any successful claim.

The FCA has previously said the total cost of redressing motorists impacted by the car finance scandal could cost firms between £6billion and £16billion.

It means affected customers could get potentially £1,000s back in overpayments.

Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.

Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories