OREANDA-NEWS McDonald's Russian business in Russia will presumably be bought by one of the largest franchisees continuing operations inside the country, The Bell reports citing industry sources, according to Gazeta.ru.

Two of the publication's interlocutors believe that the likely buyer will be the company "SPP". The third source did not rule out that the organization "GID" would act as a potential buyer of a popular institution.

According to one of the interlocutors of The Bell, the deal may be announced as early as May 19.

There is no official confirmation of information on who is considering the possibility of buying the McDonald's business in Russia at the moment. There is also no information about ongoing negotiations concerning the future of the American chain, which has ceased to operate in Russia.

On May 16, TASS, citing a source in the company reported that the American company McDonald's expects to resume operations in Russia under a new brand.