CKE Restaurants, US major fast food company, is entering the Russian market. The Americans have sold the franchise for Carl’s Jr., its main brand, to St. Petersburg-based Yarkaya Zvezda. Experts explain the active interest of global restaurant chains to the Russian fast food by the market's annual steady growth of 20 percent.

St. Petersburg Yarkaya Zvezda has bought the franchise to develop the chain of Carl’s Jr. in Russia. The agreement holds it that by 2013, the Russian company will operate no less that 50 Carl’s Jr. restaurants in the country. The franchise is estimated to cost $300-500,000 plus the royalty of between 1.5 and 2 percent of the chain’s future turnover.

CKE Restaurants operates some 3,200 restaurants all over the world under the brands of Carl’s Jr., Hardee’s and La Salsa Fresh Mexican Grill. Carl’s Jr.’s main item of the menu is hamburgers which are somewhat cheaper that those at McDonalds, by the way.

The appearance of a major US fast food player is no surprising: Russia’s buoyant fast food market, with the annual growth of 20 percent, is increasingly attractive for overseas investors.

News source: kommersant.com
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