McDonald’s to leave Russia, selling up because country ‘not consistent with values’
- In March, the American fast-food giant closed all of its 850 restaurants in the country, where it says it employs 62,000 people
- ‘The humanitarian crisis caused by war in Ukraine … [means] business in Russia is no longer tenable, nor consistent with [our] values’, McDonald’s said
American fast-food giant McDonald’s will exit the Russian market and sell its business in the increasingly isolated country, the company said Monday.
Many Western businesses have pulled out of Russia since its invasion of Ukraine in February. Earlier on Monday, French carmaker Renault announced it had handed over its Russian assets to the government in Moscow, marking the first major nationalisation of the economic disentanglement.
In March, McDonald’s closed all of its 850 restaurants in the country, where it says it employs 62,000 people.
On Monday it went a step further, saying in a statement: “After more than 30 years of operations in the country, McDonald’s Corporation announced it will exit the Russian market and has initiated a process to sell its Russian business.
“The humanitarian crisis caused by the war in Ukraine, and the precipitating unpredictable operating environment, have led McDonald’s to conclude that continued ownership of the business in Russia is no longer tenable, nor is it consistent with McDonald’s values.”