Why you might see 'Tim Hortons' in your town (clue: doughnut holes)

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Tim Hortons signImage source, Alamy

The company behind Burger King wants to open its first Tim Hortons outlets in the UK.

The Canadian brand sells cheap coffee and doughnuts and already has cafes in North America and the Middle East.

The firm says it's found an investor to help it launch a franchise operation in Scotland, England and Wales.

It hasn't yet said when exactly it will open its doors - or how many UK stores it plans.

Image source, Alamy
Image caption,
These are timbits if you hadn't seen them before...

Restaurant Brands chief executive Daniel Schwartz said: "Great Britain is an attractive market with a strong and growing coffee culture so it is a natural fit for the brand."

The Tim Hortons chain was founded in 1964 by former NHL ice hockey player Miles Horton.

It now has 4,464 restaurants which serve paninis, sandwiches, timbits (doughnut holes) and soups plus its staple of double, double coffee (two creams, two sugars) and doughnuts.

In comparison, Starbucks has 22,557 outlets across the world while Costa Coffee has 3,200 and Caffe Nero has 700.

Image source, Alamy

It's often referred to as Timmie's by Canadians.

The brand has appeared in TV shows like Homeland and The Last Ship.

Tim Hortons used to be owned by US fast-food chain Wendy's, before being spun off as a separate company in 2006.

But it isn't the first time Tim Hortons coffee and timbits will have been sold in the UK.

The company made a deal with Spar stores in the UK and Ireland in 2007, which meant Tim Hortons coffee and doughnuts were sold at small self-service counters in 50 shops in the mid to late 2000s.

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