(Reuters) -McDonald’s restaurants in Belarus are set to be rebranded under a deal made public on Friday, five months after the U.S. fast food chain left neighbouring Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
Under the deal, the 25 McDonald’s restaurants in Belarus, all of which are operated by a local licensee, will be rebranded as Vkusno & tochka, which translates as “Tasty and that’s it”.
McDonald’s sold its Russian restaurants in May to a local operator there, which later rebranded to “Vkusno & tochka,” making a decision to sever ties with Russia over its actions in Ukraine.
“Due to extensive local supply issues, it is no longer possible for our McDonald’s licensee to continue operating in Belarus,” McDonald’s said in a statement. “As a result, the licensee will stop operating as McDonald’s, and will no longer carry the McDonald’s name or serve our menu.”
Vkusno & tochka said the decision to operate in Belarus as well as in Russia would allow the retention of more than 2,000 jobs in Belarus, “while continuing to meet all previous commitments to employees”.
McDonald’s restaurants in Belarus will be rebranded within a “few weeks”, the company added, and would operate under the McDonald’s brand for a transition period.
(Reporting by Reuters; editing by Barbara Lewis and Bill Berkrot)