Company News

15 july 2011

ASTERA Introduces Finnish Chain Hesburger to Saint Petersburg Market

In July the Finnish fast-food chain Hesburger opens its first restaurant in St. Petersburg in the retail and leisure centre ‘Gulliver’. ASTERA, an alliance member of BNP Paribas Real Estate, has rendered services on space selection.
‘Rusburger’ Ltd. company, which promotes Hesburger chain in Russia on the basis of master-franchise, has leased a premise with the total area of 220 sq.m on the fourth floor of the retail and leisure centre ‘Gulliver’. The first restaurant of the chain is for 80 seats and fully complies with the unified standard for restaurants decoration, clients service, equipment adopted inside the chain.

The second restaurant of Hesburger chain with the area of 270 sq.m will appear in the centre of Saint-Petersburg, near ‘Tekhnologichesky Institut’ underground station, in 23, Moskovsky prospect, also with assistance of ASTERA. The restaurant for 85 seats will be opened in August.

The chain is planning to open several other restaurants in St. Petersburg. According to Egor Gurnikov, the Development Director of Hesburger in Russia, it is planned to open 3-5 more restaurants in St. Petersburg during this year, another 5 restaurants shall appear next year and further pace of development will depend on the success of already opened restaurants.

Under Hesburger brand name 4 restaurants are already operating in Moscow, in September the fifth restaurant is to be opened. The chain appeared in Russia in 2010. Entering a new market was a logical step in the company development. “St. Petersburg market is ready for introduction of our chain. Many citizens often go to Finland and have had a chance to visit Hesburger restaurants there. They know the brand and will now have an opportunity to visit the Finnish fast-food restaurant without leaving the native city,” – Egor Gurnik says.

Hesburger is a successful Finnish company, one of the oldest on the market of fast-food restaurants. In 15 years of active development the chain of restaurants has covered the whole Finland. In 2002 Hesburger has taken over The Carrols chain. Currently Hesburger comprises 300 restaurants in Finland, Germany, Russia and Baltic countries, 100’000 visitors daily. According to the results of 2010 the total sales volume of Hesburger chain in Finland has made around 190 mln. Euro, the chain sales in other countries have totaled to around 30 mln Euro.
ASTERA has a significant experience in introducing the fast-food restaurants to the market of St. Petersburg and has been cooperating for many years with a large variety of fast-food chains available in the city. Since 2005 ASTERA has been cooperating with Carl’s Jr. chain, and over this period of time the chain has opened 6 new restaurants, the latest opened in Chernyshevskogo prospect. In 2010 with ASTERA assistance the first restaurant of Burger King brand was opened in St. Petersburg in shopping and leisure centre ‘Grand Canyon’.

“Fast-food restaurants are a specific segment of tenants. Due to special technology in food preparation they need a significant reserve of electric power. The work on selection of premises, which meet the technical requirements and are located in the city centre in the places with high customers flow, is rather a complicated one,” – Lyudmila Reva, the Director of Business Development at ASTERA, an alliance member of BNP Paribas Real Estate, notes, – “We are glad that thanks to professionalism of our consultants the Hesburger chain managed to set a high pace of development on St. Petersburg market from the very beginning”.
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