McDonald’s gave in. Faced with calls for a boycott, and in the context of the war in Ukraine, the brand has decided to close its restaurants in Russia.
A total of 847 establishments are affected by this temporary measure. “The situation is extraordinarily difficult for a global brand like ours and there are many considerations to take into account,” said McDonald’s boss Chris Kempczinski. “At the same time, respecting our values means that we cannot ignore the unnecessary human suffering taking place in Ukraine.”
The fast-food chain thus joins the 290 or so large companies that have announced their withdrawal from Russia, according to an inventory kept up to date by a team from Yale University. The group’s 62,000 employees in Russia will continue to be paid.
Starbucks and Coke are also withdrawing
For a few days, McDonald’s had been under pressure from public opinion to position itself on the war in Ukraine. The brand was criticized, especially on social networks, for continuing to make a profit in Russia while Ukraine was invaded. Note that Russia represents 9% of McDonald’s turnover.
The brand has indeed temporarily withdrawn from the country, along with Starbucks and CocaCola. Earlier, the furniture brand Ikea also announced that it would cease its activities in Russia, as did Airbnb, H&M or Microsoft.
The decision of a single company “is not going to tip the scales” but these successive withdrawals have “an accumulation effect”, believes Tim Fort, professor of business ethics at Indiana University interviewed by AFP . Faced with the communication of Vladimir Putin’s government, which minimizes the conflict, the departure of certain brands may alert the Russian population. “Russians will be able to survive without BigMac, but they will mostly wonder why McDonald’s is closing, wonder what’s really going on,” he explains.