Central Asian tycoon can buy McDonald's business in Russia

The Russian business of McDonald's, which previously announced its exit from the local market, may soon be purchased by Kairat Boranbayev, a relative of former Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, and Alexander Govor, a Novokuznetsk businessman.

The deal can be officially announced today, May 19, The Bell edition reports, quoting sources "watching the fate of the company".

Mr. Boranbayev owns the SPP company, which previously operated the McDonald's chain in Sverdlovsk, Orenburg, Chelyabinsk, Kurgan, Tyumen and Kirov regions.

The entrepreneur owns a McDonald's franchise in Belarus and Kazakhstan. He is also known as the former director-general of the "KazRosGas" JSC.

Earlier, two sources suggested that, most likely, Boranbayev's structures would most likely become the new owners of their own McDonald's restaurants.

According to Rossiyskaya Gazeta, Alexander Govor's Guide company managed 25 McDonald's restaurants in Novosibirsk, Berdsk, Tomsk, Kemerovo, Novokuznetsk, Barnaul and Krasnoyarsk.

Govor is also a member of the Board of Directors of the oil refining company "Neftekhimservice".

Representatives of the companies did not respond to The Bell's request and did not comment on a possible deal with McDonald's.