Burger King Russia Partner Refuses to Close Shops

Burger King's parent company said Thursday the operator of its 800 stores in Russia had refused to close the shops following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Restaurant Brands International (RBI) revealed it had contacted its local partner, Alexander Kolobov, to shut the branches but complicated contracts with overseas partners made it unable to "walk away" from these deals.

Many Western firms have shut or suspended their Russian businesses.

Burger King entered the Russian market 10 years ago. RBI owns 15% in the Russian joint venture and trades through a joint venture partnership with Kolobov as well as with Russia's VTB Capital and a Ukrainian investment firm.