Subway, the global sandwich chain brand, has opened its 4,000th store in Europe.

The company reached the milestone with an opening in the Gara de Nord railway station in Bucharest, Romania.

The Bucharest store is operated by LS travel retail.

The first European Subway store opened in Brighton, UK, in 1996. Since then the brand has expanded its operations and increased its presence in Europe, with stores now open in 31 countries in Europe, from Iceland to Russia.

In total the brand’s franchisees employ about 40,000 people in the communities in which they serve throughout Europe. There are currently over 1,600 stores in the UK and Ireland, employing almost 17,000 people.

Globally, the Subway brand has more than 39,700 stores in 101 countries.