The owner of Burger King said the operator of its 800 stores in Russia has “refused” to close the sites despite demands to suspend trading. Restaurant Brands said it had contacted its local partner, Alexander Kolobov, to shut the shops following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
But it said “complicated” contracts with overseas partners mean it is unable to “walk away” from these deals. Many Western firms have shut or suspended their Russian businesses.
However a small number, including Burger King and UK retailer Marks and Spencer (M&S), have been unable to do so because their stores are run by franchise partners under “complex” legal arrangements.
Restaurant Brands International president David Shear said: “We contacted the main operator of the business and demanded the suspension of Burger King restaurant operations in Russia.
“He has refused to do so.”
Mr Shear added that making any changes to its local Burger King business “would ultimately require the support of Russian authorities on the ground and we know that will not practically happen anytime soon”.
Burger King entered the Russian market 10 years ago. It trades there through a joint venture partnership with Mr Kolobov – who is the main day-to-day operator of the business – as well as with Russia’s VTB Capital and a Ukrainian investment firm.
VTB Capital is an affiliate of VTB Bank, Russia’s second largest financial institution which has been sanctioned by the US, UK and other European countries. Mr Shear said Restaurant Brands owns a minority stake of 15% in the Russian joint venture which it is in the process of unwinding.
“While we would like to do this immediately, it is clear that it will take some time to do so based on the terms of our existing joint venture agreement,” he said. [BBC]
