McDonald's planning major fast-food expansion in Germany

US fast-food chain McDonald's aims to expand in Germany over the years ahead, the chief financial officer of McDonald's Germany said in remarks published by the Funke Media Group on Saturday.

"We have faith in Germany as a business location and will continue to grow strongly here," Christoph Gehrig said.

The multinational company plans to open 25 new outlets, each with a staff complement of 50, this year. This is to be increased to 75 new outlets every year for the next three years, generating more than 10,000 jobs by 2027.

Over the medium term, 500 new German outlets are to be opened, many of them at locations with high through-traffic, such as along motorways and in railway stations.

"We are focussing on expanding drive-ins, as Germany remains a car country, and I don't see that changing in the short term," Gehrig said.

Electrical charge points have been installed at 600 of the 1,050 McDonald's drive-ins.

To help find the new staff required, Gehrig called for the "reduction of bureaucratic hurdles" when it coms to the employment of refugees.

McDonald's currently employs a staff of more than 65,000 at more than 1,400 outlets in Germany.