Foodservice multinational Yum! Brands have followed in McDonald’s, Starbucks’ and Coca-Cola’s footsteps by pausing business operations in Russia in response to the country’s invasion of Ukraine. As the country was one of its key markets, many are questioning how many KFC restaurants there are in Russia.
Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba told CNN: “All Western companies must withdraw from Russia.” And it seems many companies have done just that in a domino effect that will leave a significant impact on Russia.
Yum! Brands are the parent company of KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and The Habit Burger Grill. The multinational company has halted development on all its franchises in Russia as a response to the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
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How many KFC restaurants are there in Russia?
Yum! Brands has 1,000 KFC restaurants in Russia. Of that 1,000, Yum! is suspending 70 KFC company-owned restaurants in Russia. This is because the majority of KFCs are operated by independent franchise owners, meaning Yum! doesn’t have as much control as if it ran the restaurants themselves.
However, Yum! is still on a mission to suspend any company-owned restaurants as part of its sanctions against Russia. Last year was a big year for the development of KFC, with the majority of restaurants opening in Russia, China and India. In Russia, the company was opening about 100 restaurants a year and was expected to expand in a similar fashion in 2022.
Company joins fast-food boycott
Yum! is also finalising a suspension of all its 50 Pizza Huts in Russia. The company is following in the footsteps of chains such as McDonald’s and PepsiCo, which have stopped business with Russia amid outrage over the invasion.
Yum! announced the sanctions in a statement: “This action builds on our decision to suspend all investment and restaurant development in Russia and redirect all profits from operations in Russia to humanitarian efforts.
“As always, we remain focused on the safety of our people in the region and will continue to support our teams in Ukraine while evaluating the ways Yum! Brands can make a positive impact in the region.”
The company also announced it would donate $1 million from its Yum! Brands Foundation to the Red Cross as part of efforts to offer support to those affected by the crisis.
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