Chains in both the US and the UK
28 chains on our maps have locations in both the US and the UK. The biggest across the two is Little Free Library, with about 85,000 locations in the US and about 470 in the UK. Allowing for population, Lidl, Blank Street and IKEA are far more common in the UK, while Little Free Library, Taco Bell and Wingstop are far more common in the US.
More common per person in the UK
- Lidl 26× as common
- Blank Street 5.2× as common
- IKEA 2.3× as common
- Gulf 2.1× as common
- Aldi 2.0× as common
- H&M 1.9× as common
- Texaco 1.7× as common
- Slim Chickens 1.6× as common
More common per person in the US
- Little Free Library 37× as common
- Taco Bell 11× as common
- Wingstop 5.3× as common
- Popeyes 5.0× as common
- Valero 4.5× as common
- Pizza Hut 3.3× as common
- Shell 2.7× as common
- Anytime Fitness 2.5× as common
All 28 chains in both countries
| Chain | US | UK | Per million, US | Per million, UK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Little Free Library | 85,071 | 472 | 250 | 6.8 |
| Subway | 17,883 | 2,067 | 53 | 30 |
| Starbucks | 16,707 | 1,383 | 49 | 20 |
| McDonald's | 13,486 | 1,505 | 40 | 22 |
| Shell | 12,399 | 944 | 36 | 14 |
| Domino's | 7,295 | 1,328 | 21 | 19 |
| Taco Bell | 8,217 | 152 | 24 | 2.2 |
| BP | 6,857 | 1,160 | 20 | 17 |
| Burger King | 6,169 | 553 | 18 | 8.0 |
| Pizza Hut | 6,284 | 384 | 18 | 5.5 |
| KFC | 4,045 | 1,003 | 12 | 14 |
| Valero | 4,336 | 196 | 13 | 2.8 |
| Aldi | 2,748 | 1,102 | 8.1 | 16 |
| Papa John's | 3,085 | 387 | 9.1 | 5.6 |
| Popeyes | 3,127 | 129 | 9.2 | 1.9 |
| Wingstop | 2,729 | 105 | 8.0 | 1.5 |
| Anytime Fitness | 2,328 | 188 | 6.8 | 2.7 |
| Sally Beauty | 2,245 | 209 | 6.6 | 3.0 |
| Texaco | 1,579 | 558 | 4.6 | 8.0 |
| Five Guys | 1,512 | 158 | 4.4 | 2.3 |
| Gulf | 896 | 385 | 2.6 | 5.5 |
| Lidl | 203 | 1,065 | 0.60 | 15 |
| Tim Hortons | 694 | 63 | 2.0 | 0.91 |
| H&M | 476 | 180 | 1.4 | 2.6 |
| Krispy Kreme | 341 | 111 | 1.0 | 1.6 |
| Slim Chickens | 221 | 74 | 0.65 | 1.1 |
| Blank Street | 52 | 55 | 0.15 | 0.79 |
| IKEA | 65 | 30 | 0.19 | 0.43 |
Each number links to that chain’s map in that country. “Per million” is locations per million people, so a chain with the same figure in both countries is just as common in each.
Store locations from All the Places, with gaps filled from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors) and, for UK food chains, the Food Standards Agency’s food hygiene register. Populations: Census Bureau estimates for 2024; ONS estimates for mid-2025. Only chains with at least 25 locations in a country have a map there, and a chain’s name can belong to separate companies in different countries.