Vkusno i tochka isn’t going to enter Kazakhstani market

Vkusno I tochka, a Russian fast food chain, doesn’t plan to enter Kazakhstan’s market to fill the niche which was earlier occupied by McDonald’s, according to the TASS news agency, citing the company.

The chain’s representative said that «so far there are no any business arrangements between Vkusno I tochka and the company that used to run McDonald’s in Kazakhstan.»

In December, Director General of Vkusno I tochka Oleg Paroyev said that the company is considering the option of expansion to neighboring markets in Armenia, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. All three countries have never cooperated with McDonald’s. Moreover, Alexander Govor, the Russian businessman, who owns the Vkusno i tochka chain, said that the company wants to operate in Abkhazia. He noted that the expansion is going to occur through selling franchises.

In March 2022, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, McDonald’s suspended the operation of its restaurants in Russia. Two months later, the company announced its decision to leave the country. All restaurants that operated under the McDonald’s brand have been sold to Govor.

In November 2022, McDonald’s suspended its operation in Kazakhstan due to discrepancies in the Russian food supply. It was supposed that McDonald’s would continue its work in Kazakhstan if local suppliers stepped in, as long as they met strict requirements for products.

However, on January 5, McDonald’s said it is going to leave Kazakhstan because of the disruption of the supply chain. According to Bloomberg, once McDonald’s left Russia, the company demanded its Kazakhstani partner not to acquire patties from Russia. The Ministry of Agriculture of Kazakhstan added that McDonald’s requirements are so tough that local meat producers weren’t able to adjust to these new requirements fast enough.