According to CCTV news, the first batch of 15 original McDonald's stores in Russia were renamed "only delicious" and reopened on the 12th. "I'm glad to introduce our new name: only delicious." Oleg paroyev, CEO of the new chain, told reporters at the opening ceremony that day.
Paloev said that the first 15 stores opened on the 12th. By the end of this month, about 200 stores will open. By the end of this summer, all about 850 original McDonald's stores will resume business.
Picture source: CCTV news
Among the first opened stores, a store located in Pushkin square in the center of Moscow, the capital, has attracted much attention. This is the first store set up by McDonald's in the Russian market. In the morning, people lined up outside the store and waited for the official reopening at 12 noon. The store has been replaced with a new brand logo, that is, there is a red circle and two orange lines on the green background, representing a hamburger and two French fries. The slogan next to it reads: "the name has changed, and love remains the same.".
Compared with the original McDonald's brand, "only delicious" provides a slightly reduced variety of meals, but the overall price has decreased. For example, the price of a double cheeseburger has dropped from about 160 rubles (about 18.2 yuan) to 129 rubles (14.7 yuan); The price of a fish burger dropped from about 190 rubles (21.6 yuan) to 169 rubles (19.2 yuan).
Alexandermelkulov, the manager of the new enterprise, said that the hamburger formula had not changed and the original equipment was still in use. A 15-year-old customer told Reuters that "coke has changed", but the taste of hamburgers and French fries has not changed.
Paroyev said that the interior of the new store was not redecorated, but all items related to the original name were removed. "Our goal is to make customers feel no change in quality and environment." In addition, the new stores will maintain "affordable prices", but it does not rule out that the prices of meals may be slightly adjusted in the near future.
Bid farewell to "golden arch" and the new brand logo of McDonald's in Russia appears
According to the Xinhua News Agency on June 10, saying goodbye to the golden arch, the McDonald's store in Russia will be renamed and reopened.
15 McDonald's stores in and around Moscow, the Russian capital, will be replaced with new brands and reopened on "Russia day" on June 12.
Several stores in Moscow and St. Petersburg have removed the iconic "golden arch" of McDonald's to prepare for the installation of the new brand logo. According to media reports, the logo of the new brand has a green background, with a red circle and two orange lines, representing a hamburger and two French fries.
The McDonald's store in Pushkin square in the center of Moscow is the first store set up by this American catering giant in the Russian market. This store will welcome customers again on the 12th.
McDonald's entered Russia in january1990 and has about 850 stores in Russia. After the escalation of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine in February this year, western countries imposed a number of sanctions on Russia. Affected by this, McDonald's suspended its business in Russia in March and decided to leave the Russian market in May.
Moscow mayor Sergey sobyanin said in May this year that the withdrawal from the Russian market was a loss for McDonald's.
Russian businessman govor takes over the offer: he plans to expand the new brand to 1000 stores
On May 19, McDonald's announced that the company had signed an agreement with alexandergovor, a Russian franchisee. Govor would take over McDonald's business in Russia and operate with a new brand.
The details of McDonald's agreement with Gower were not disclosed. According to McDonald's, Gower will allow existing employees to continue working under the same conditions for at least two years. Gower said he plans to expand the new brand to 1000 stores.
According to the latest news from CCTV news, govor said that 7billion rubles (797million yuan) will be invested in enterprise development this year, and the total number of employees can reach 51000. In addition, as Coca Cola announced the suspension of its business in Russia, new enterprises are looking for new beverage suppliers.
Gower became the franchisee of McDonald's in 2015. GID, a limited liability company under his name, operates McDonald's business and helps McDonald's expand its business to Siberia.
Interfax's database of Russian enterprises shows that govor is the co owner of the leasing enterprise "Siberian distribution center" and an oil refinery. He also holds 50 per cent of a small forestry company and 25 per cent of a fishing and hunting company.
Rosint catering company is another franchisee of McDonald's in Russia. A source familiar with the company told the Tass News Agency on the 8th that McDonald's stores in Moscow and St. Petersburg airports and railway stations can be open until 2023 as usual. However, neither rosint nor McDonald's has responded to this statement.