Following KFC And Pizza Hut, McDonald's Plans To Reopen Its Outlets In Ukraine

JAKARTA - McDonald's Corp. announced on Thursday that it plans to reopen its restaurants in Ukraine within the next few months.

The world's largest burger chain closed all its restaurants in Ukraine and Russia last March, following Moscow's invasion.

McDonald's has 109 restaurants in Ukraine, but did not specify how many stores would reopen.

"The decision to reopen came after extensive consultations and discussions with Ukrainian officials, suppliers and security specialists, taking into account our employees' requests to return to work," McDonald's Head of International Market Operations Paul Pomroy said in a message to employees.

McDonald's said it was working with suppliers to bring products to restaurants, as well as rehiring its employees with stricter safety protocols.

The plan is for McDonald's to start reopening its stores in Kyiv and western Ukraine, areas that are better protected from conflict.

Earlier this year, the Ukrainian government began a program to relocate business activities to the west of the country, to prevent the wider conflict's impact on the economy.

Earlier this month Yum Brands Inc., which owns KFC and Pizza Hut, announced that almost all of its outlets in Ukraine had reopened.