McDonald’s will begin reopening some of its restaurants in Ukraine in the coming months, in a show of support after the American fast food chain pulled out of Russia.
The burger giant closed its Ukrainian restaurants following Russia’s invasion nearly six months ago, but has continued to pay more than 10,000 McDonald’s employees in the country.
McDonald’s said on Thursday it would gradually begin reopening some restaurants in western Ukraine and the capital, Kyiv, where other US businesses such as Nike and KFC, and Spanish clothing retailer Mango, are open.
“We have spoken extensively with our employees who have expressed a strong desire to return to work and to see our restaurants reopen in Ukraine,” Paul Pomroy, senior vice president of international markets, said in a message to staff. “In recent months, the belief that this would support a small but important sense of normalcy has become stronger.”
The Ukrainian economy has been badly damaged by the war, and the International Monetary Fund expects the economy to contract by 35% this year.
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McDonald’s has 109 restaurants in Ukraine, but did not say how many would reopen, when that would happen or which locations would be the first to welcome customers. Over the next few months, the company said it would begin working with vendors to get supplies to restaurants, prepare stores, bring back employees and put safety procedures in place, with the war still raging in the east.
Although it will begin reopening in Ukraine, McDonald’s has sold its 850 restaurants in Russia to a franchise, three decades after the company opened its first location in Moscow in a powerful symbol of easing Cold War tensions.
McDonald’s closed hundreds of Russian locations in March, costing the company around $55m (£45m) each month. Selling its Russian restaurants was the first time the company had exited a major market.
Alexander Govor, who held a license for 25 McDonald’s outposts in Siberia, has begun reopening former McDonald’s locations under the name Vkusno-i Tochka, or Tasty and that’s it.