The Finnish fast food chain Hesburger has announced that most of its stores in Russia and Belarus are now closed and others are expected to close by Sunday.
The company said earlier this month that it plans to close all its restaurants in both countries by the end of April, when criticism of the Turku-based company’s plan to withdraw from Russia and Belarus was too slow.
At the beginning of 2021, Hesburger had 39 restaurants in Russia, half of which were owned by franchises, and four stores in Belarus.
"The leases have been terminated at Hesburger’s premises. Local franchisees have also been informed that the use of the Hesburger trademark must be stopped immediately," the company said in a press release.
Hesburger’s statement added that the company has also notified Google of restaurant closures because the Google Maps app appears to indicate that some outlets are still operational. Data for restaurants in Russia and Belarus has been removed from Hesburger’s own application.
"We hope to update your Google data as soon as possible," CEO of Hesburger Kari Salmela said.
The company added that it has invested EUR 15 million in its operations in Russia since the first Hesburger store opened there in 2010.
Source: The Nordic Page