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Russia's successor to McDonald's prepares to enter foreign markets

The chain's owner Alexander Govor said in early September that Vkusno I Tochka was ready to open restaurants in the Chinese city of Heihe and is waiting for the US company's decision on this issue

MOSCOW, September 17. /TASS/. The Russian fast-food chain Vkusno I Tochka (which translates to Tasty and That's It), which has replaced McDonald's in Russia, will continue to develop in Russia and expects the number of its outlets to grow to 1,000 by the beginning of 2026, the chain's General Director Oleg Paroev told TASS. According to him, the company is also preparing to enter foreign markets.

At the end of May, the top manager said that Vkusno I Tochka plans to open 50 new venues in 2024. "We retain plans (for openings this year - TASS), as well as our ambition to surpass 1,000 establishments throughout the country - probably not next year, but at the beginning of 2026," he said.

Vkusno I Tochka is currently present in 65 regions of Russia, the chain has more than 900 venues.

The company is also developing a budget for next year. "A lot depends on the parameters of the investment tax deduction, on how the state will or will not boost investments in the main production. But in general, we maintain our ambition to develop," Paroev added.

In addition, the fastfood chain has started to consider the possibility of entering new countries. "We are going through certain preparatory processes. I do not want to go into details, but yes, we clearly understand that we are going abroad. We might share information when we are ready," Paroev said.

The chain's owner Alexander Govor told TASS in early September that Vkusno I Tochka was ready to open restaurants in the Chinese city of Heihe and is waiting for the US company's decision on this issue, "It's no secret that we recently received a request from China. From the city of Heihe, which is located on the other side of the Amur River from our Blagoveshchensk. It turns out that logistics do not reach these areas, and there is no McDonald's there. So they turned to us," Govor explained.

McDonald's has decided to leave the Russian market in 2022, selling the company to a Russian investor, entrepreneur Alexander Govor, who has been a McDonald's franchise partner since 2015, managing 25 cafes across Siberia. The Vkusno I Tochka chain has been operating in Russia since June 12, 2022.

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