McDonalds is finally leaving Russia
The company sells its business and completely ceases operations in the Russian Federation. This is an unprecedented step.
This is stated in an internal statement of the company for employees and suppliers, according to Censor.NET with reference to "Espresso". The company stressed that it is looking for a buyer for Russian business.
"The company intends to sell all of its McDonald's restaurants in Russia to a local buyer. The company is initiating a process to" dearchify "these restaurants, leading to a ban on the use of McDonald's name, logo, branding and menu, although the company will retain its trademarks in Russia." said in a press release from McDonald's.
According to McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczynski, the company took such a step because it had to respond to the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine caused by Russian aggression.
"This is a complex issue that has unprecedented and profound consequences. Some may argue that providing access to food and continuing to employ tens of thousands of ordinary citizens is certainly the right thing to do. But the humanitarian crisis caused by the war in Ukraine cannot be ignored. "Imagine that the Golden Arches symbolize the same hope and promise that led us to enter the Russian market 32 years ago," Kempczynski said.
The first McDonald’s restaurant in Russia was opened in January 1990 before the collapse of the Soviet Union.
