Ex-franchisees sue BK over ‘conspiracy'

Fast-food restaurant chain Burger King is facing a £42m court battle with former franchisees who claim they were victims of a conspiracy.

Four members of the Nottinghamshire-based Kyrris family, who built up their business to 20 Burger King restaurants with a £15m annual turnover, are suing Burger King, the Royal Bank of Scotland and HM Group for damages for breach of an agreement made in November 1996, breach of contract, breach of duty, conspiracy, and breach of duty of good faith.

Details of the alleged conspiracy are outlined in 79 pages of their particulars of claim. The family, who ran Burger King restaurants in Nottinghamshire, York, Leeds, Scarborough and Sheffield, were at one time the largest BK franchisee outside North America, but their businesses failed and they blame this on the alleged conspiracy.

"It is an incredible tale," said management consultant Gareth Hansen-Chambers, who acts for the Kyrris family. "Burger King wanted to get rid of Jack Kyrris, and a large part of the case is the conspiracy between the defendants to get rid of him. After the case we plan to write a book about it."