Bloomberg learned about McDonald’s plans to leave Kazakhstan

McDonald’s Corporation intends to leave Kazakhstan after restrictions related to the military operation left this country without a replacement for Russian meat supplies. The agency reports Bloomberg with reference to people familiar with the matter.

Although Kazakh businesses are not subject to sanctions against Moscow, McDonald’s, which has left Russia, has banned its local franchisee from buying meat patties from Russian suppliers. This was reported by sources on condition of anonymity, since the information is not publicly available. 24 McDonald’s restaurants owned by Food Solutions KZ LLP suspended operations in November due to supply issues.

Kazakh businesses could not buy meat patties from local or European suppliers, the sources said, as higher prices and transportation costs to transport goods across the vast country would mean running a business at a loss. McDonald’s declined to comment.

The franchise owner in Kazakhstan is Kairat Boranbaev, who was arrested in March on charges of embezzlement. Mr. Boranbayev is a relative of former President Nursultan Nazarbayev, recalls Bloomberg. He opened a chain of fast food restaurants in Kazakhstan in 2016. Kairat Boranbaev also owned a McDonald’s franchise in Belarus, which lost its license in 2022 due to supply issues.

In Russia, McDonald’s has come to replace brand “Delicious – period.”

Maria Fedotova