Hey Kay Rush

History

2024

Unirest bought all points of the KFC franchise in Russia

Unirest, which owns the Rostic's brand and the KFC master franchise in Russia, acquired A.K. Rush, which operates 97 KFC restaurants. It is planned that all points will be transferred to the Rostic's brand until the spring of 2025. This became known in mid-December 2024.

According to RBC, the deal will allow the rebranding of the KFC network in Russia to be completed. Alexey Chizhov, CEO of Hey Kay Rush, who worked for the company for ten years, confirmed the sale of the business and announced plans to leave his post. According to Mikhail Burmistrov, General Director of the INFOLine-Analytics agency, the transaction cost from ₽4 billion to ₽4,5 billion.

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Фото: KFC

American Yum! Brands has been developing the KFC business in Russia since 1993, starting work through a partnership with Rostik Group Rostislav Ordovsky-Tanaevsky Blanco. In 2010, Yum! Brands bought the rights to Russian restaurants and the Rostik's brand, renaming all points to KFC by the end of 2012.

In March 2022, Yum! Brands announced the suspension of work in Russia, and in April 2023 sold the business to Smart Service LTD Konstantin Kotov and Andrei Oskolkov. The new owners received a master KFC franchise, 66 corporate restaurants and the rights to the Rostic's brand.

In the process of consolidating its business, Junirest acquired 215 Polish AmRest restaurants in February 2023, and in August created a joint venture with the largest KFC franchisee in Russia - International Restaurant Brands.

By April 2024, 90% of franchisees signed agreements on the transition to the Rostic's brand, and 750 out of 1.1 thousand restaurants have already changed their name. "Hey Kay Rush" remained one of the last major franchisees to retain the KFC brand, as most contracts for its use were valid until 2035.

Before the sale, the main owner of AK Rush was the closed mutual investment fund My First with a share of 81%. Another 8.9% belonged to ZPIF Sintez under the management of Gamma Group, the remaining part - Sberbank Investments LLC^[1]

ZPIF "My First" became the owner of KFC in Russia

In November 2024, the main owner of AK Rush, which manages 96 restaurants under the KFC brand in Russia, was the closed mutual investment fund (ZPIF) My First. This is evidenced by the data of the Unified State Register of Legal Entities (USRUL).

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Фото: Freepik

81% of the company "AK Rush" became owned by ZPIF "My First." Another 8.9% - at the closed-end investment fund "Synthesis." The remaining part remained with Sberbank Investments, which has owned a stake in A.K. Rush since 2019.^[2]

Notes