​Buyk Hires Nathan’s Famous Executive James Walker as New CEO

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Buyk, the leading real-time retail service promising ultrafast grocery delivery, announces the hire of James Walker, former Senior Vice President for Restaurants at Nathan’s Famous, as the Company’s new CEO.

The move represents a major step for Buyk, which launched its operations in New York City in early September, as the Company sets its sights on a rapid roll-out to several US metropolises.

Walker has more than 30 years of senior management experience in the hospitality and retail industries for brands such as Nathan’s Famous, Baja Fresh, Cinnabon, and Subway. While at Nathan’s Famous, a NASDAQ-listed fast-food company, Walker oversaw the opening of nearly 300 Dark Kitchen locations both domestically, and internationally, demonstrating his deep experience in scaling a concept into a global, profitable enterprise. Walker brings substantial and wide ranging executive expertise to the Buyk team, having also held the position of Vice President for US and Canada at Subway. In this role Walker was instrumental in launching Subway North America’s Delivery program, partnering with all four of the major delivery service providers to create a program that remains one of the largest in the world.

James Walker, CEO at Buyk, said: “I’m thrilled to join Buyk at such an exciting time. I’ve been highly impressed by both the Company’s early success, as well as the proven expertise and track record of the founders. Add Buyk’s unique technology to the mix and you can see why I felt compelled to become part of the Buyk team. I am confident I can bring great value to the Company and drive our fast-growing operations to meet our ambitious goals.”

Slava Bocharov, Co-founder of Buyk, said: “We’re excited to have James join the Buyk journey. We feel that his expertise and experience in scaling businesses and bringing them to new markets are a valuable asset, and totally align with our goal of making Buyk a household name, first in the US, and then globally. Crucially, James shares our vision regarding the future of retail and is determined to help Buyk lead the revolution in this industry.”

Bocharov, alongside Co-founder Rodion Shiskov, will continue to oversee Buyk’s strategic vision and fundraising efforts, while Walker assumes responsibility for day-to-day operations, organizational development, new product development and partnerships.

The Buyk app is now available to download, with the service currently operating across Manhattan. For more information visit www.buyk.com.

About Buyk

Buyk is a real-time retail service that provides groceries and essential items to customers’ doorsteps in 15 minutes or faster – with no minimum spend and no delivery fee. The company was founded in 2021 by Rodion Shishkov and Slava Bocharov, seasoned professionals in the industry who co-founded and ran Samokat, one of Europe’s leading ultrafast grocery delivery services. Their experience, coupled with Buyk’s tried and tested technological platform, provides a solid foundation for Buyk’s launch in New York, and subsequent expansion across the US market. The Company raised $46m from CM Ventures, Fort Ross, Citius and other investors in a recent funding round ahead of its launch.