McDonald's visits up by 26 million

Sales at UK branches of McDonald's powered ahead in the second quarter, thanks to a rise in customer visits.

The fast-food giant said that although it could not give sales figures for individual countries, it achieved "high single-digit" UK growth in the 12 weeks to 30 June. "Growth is being driven right across the menu. We are seeing really good growth across our saver menu," said a spokeswoman.

The number of customer visits rose by 26 million, taking the total to more than 300 million, in what was the 17th consecutive quarter of growth for McDonald's UK.

The company said it enjoyed a positive impact from its World Cup football and Taste of America advertising campaigns. Sales rose by 5.2 per cent in Europe, by 3.7 per cent in the US and by 4.8 per cent globally.