Turkish online food firm leaves Russia

Eren Güler ISTANBUL

This file photo shows Russian workers plowing snow in Moscow. An online food ordering firm leaves the Russian market due to delivery difficulties. Hürriyet photo

Local online food ordering site Yemekspeti.com has decided to leave the Russian market after two-and-a-half years of operation due to harsh winters resulting in difficulties delivering food by motorcycle.

The company, operating in Russia as “izrestorana.ru,” entered markets in both Russian and the United Arab Emirates in 2010 but the business in Russia did not developed to the desired level, said Gökhan Akan, chief financial officer and founding partner of yemeksepeti.com.

“We had difficulties regarding Russia’s own dynamics,” he said. “First of all, winters are very long there, snow stays for months on the ground. This causes a big problem in deliveries with motorcycles. Deliveries by cars do not yield desired results as well due to infamous Moscow traffic congestion.”

The delivery franchise sector is not developing in Russia, he said, adding that he did not foresee a favorable change in the future.

On the other hand, the UAE home delivery services have developed very well, he said.

Yemeksepeti.com was founded in Turkey in 2001 and is currently active in 41 provinces with 1.5 million subscribers. General Atlantic, one of the 10 largest investment funds in the world, invested $44 million in yemeksepeti.com in September.