McDonald’s Restaurants of Ireland, the company which operates the Irish business of fast-food giant McDonald’s, saw pre-tax profits increase 7% for its 2017 financial year to just under €17m.

McDonald’s has 91 stores across Ireland, with the vast majority of these (86) operated by private individuals under the franchise model. McDonald’s has been reducing the number of restaurants it operates directly over recent years and has just five wholly owned outlets in Ireland today.

McDonald’s Ireland had sales of €88.1m last year, representing a 2% increase on 2016. Operating profits in the business increased 9% in the year to €17.2m, as profit margins expanded from 18.1% in 2016 to a very strong 19.5% last year.

McDonald’s is a key customer for a number of Irish food companies including Kerry Group, Dawn Meats, Slaney Meats, Lakeland and Aryzta.

In total, McDonald’s sources more than €200m worth of Irish food every year and is the single largest buyer of Irish beef in volume terms, sourcing 40,000t of Irish beef for its burgers.