Genesis BBQ Chairman Yoon Hong-geun, center, and Restopark KZLLP Group CEO Darya Pushkina, third from right, alongside dignitaries mark the opening of Kazakhstan's first Genesis BBQ restaurant at MEGA Alma-Ata in Almaty during a ribbon-cutting ceremony, April 29. Courtesy of Genesis BBQ
Genesis BBQ, a major fried chicken franchise operator, has opened its first store in Kazakhstan, signaling a start of the global brand’s expansion across Central Asia.
The company said Monday that the store opened April 29 inside the MEGA Alma-Ata shopping center in Almaty.
According to Genesis BBQ, the 180,000-square-meter mall is one of the largest shopping complexes in Central Asia, drawing about 10 million visitors annually, with tourists, university students and office workers driving consumption.
Almaty is Kazakhstan’s financial hub, Genesis BBQ said, highlighting its strong consumer-driven economy supported by advanced dine-in, franchise, retail distribution and service sectors.
The company added that banking, trade and tourism are key growth drivers, along with a dense concentration of universities, including Al-Farabi Kazakh National University and Satbayev University, which help sustain the local talent pool and consumption base.
The restaurant’s opening follows Genesis BBQ signing a master franchise deal last December with Kazakhstan’s Restopark KZLLP Group, whose CEO, Darya Pushkina, visited the franchise operator's headquarters in Seoul to finalize an agreement to expand the brand across Almaty and Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana.
Genesis BBQ said it plans to expand its outlets in Almaty to 20 by the end of June, open its first restaurant in Astana by the end of September and introduce its 100th restaurant in Kazakhstan by year-end.
“Our entry into Kazakhstan is a result of public-private collaboration jointly achieved with the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency,” a Genesis BBQ official said, adding that the company will start in key commercial districts of Almaty and continue expanding to major hub cities including Astana to quickly strengthen its foothold in the Central Asian market.
Source: Korea Times News
