Kyiv Post readers pick city's best businesses

Voting is complete in Kyiv Post’s 6th “Best of Kyiv” annual readers’ survey of the capital city’s best business and entertainment services that make us happy to call Kyiv home. This year, more readers than usual took part in the survey, voting online at the newspaper’s redesigned website. They chose the 24 category winners from nearly 100 establishments.

“We felt it was very important to let the readers have their say when we started surveying them back in 2003,” said Kyiv Post publisher Jed Sunden. “Back then, business was booming across the board, and it was important to separate the wheat from the chaff. But even in these tougher economic times, it’s important to know where other people feel they get the best value for their hard-earned money.”

Nominees were chosen by a panel of 50 experienced business owners and top managers working in the capital city. “All the companies included in the survey are top-notch. This is really the best of the best,” Sunden added.

Readers picked the best commercial bank, investment fund, passenger airline, car dealer, car rental company, insurance company, private health clinic, English-language school, auditing, public relations, human resource and express courier service.

But entertainment and recreation opportunities are what makes life in Ukraine’s capital most enjoyable. Readers told us which hotel they prefer and where they like to exercise after a hard day’s work. Those who prefer to exercise luck instead of muscles told us at which casino they prefer to leave their money. Want to buy a watch? The Post’s readers chose the best place in Kyiv to do so.

No survey would be complete without options to choose the best places for food and drink. Readers were asked to pick the best high-end, Ukrainian, American and sushi restaurants. They chose the best confectionary, best place for wine tasting and drinking coffee, as well as the best beer pub.

Results will be published the Dec. 4 edition of the Kyiv Post’s Business Focus section.

McDonald’s hopes to open 8 new restaurants

McDonald’s plans to invest some $20 million in the expansion of its network in Ukraine in 2009, company spokesperson Mikhailo Shuranov told journalists on Nov. 21.

Shuranov said McDonald’s hopes to open eight new restaurants in Ukraine next year.

“We currently have 63 McDonald’s restaurants operating in Ukraine but we see the market as not yet being penetrated,” he added. The fast-food chain is present in 19 cities,

The company hopes to expand its Ukraine network to 240 spots. Each restaurant requires up to $2 million in investments.

Price shock: Gazprom wants to double bill

Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller warned Ukraine on Nov. 20 that it could pay $400 per 1,000 cubic meters of gas imported next year. The warning from Miller came following a meeting with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. The price is nearly double what Ukraine pays this year and much higher than the $250-$300 rate Ukraine’s state oil and gas company, Naftogaz, has said recently it expected to pay in 2009.

During the meeting, Medvedev also directed Miller to recover $2.4 billion owed by Ukraine for gas. The debt's size and source has been disputed. Naftogaz responded by saying that it only owes $1.27 billion and the rest is owed by the Swiss-registered RosUkrEnergo middleman company.

RUE is half-owned by Gazprom and 45 percent owned by the Ukrainian businessman Dmytro Firtash. Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has fought hard to remove RUE from its intermediary role insisting the company acted as a parasite, sucking revenues and market share from Ukraine’s Naftogaz.