A number of retail giants announced they would pause sales and close stores in Russia in the week after the invasion on February 24, including H&M Group, Disney, and IKEA.
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Other companies had to abandon initial plans to keep stores open. Uniqlo’s CEO promised to keep stores operational, but closed them only days later, citing “operational challenges and the worsening of the conflict situation.”
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Other big-name outlets are still doing business due to complex franchise agreements with third-party operators…
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Burger King’s parent company, Restaurant Brands International, said it wanted to close stores but could not unilaterally suspend operations, which the main operator “refused” to do, according to a letter sent to staff.
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… While others are still operational. Some people have been flogging McDonald’s goods — including food items, packaging and sauces — online. On Monday, someone posted on the classified-ads website Avito offering McDonald’s food delivery for around 1,000 rubles, or $12.
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Others queued to buy meals before a number of the stores closed. On Reddit, one user posted a video of a traffic jam waiting outside a McDonald’s branch, while another uploaded an image of a fridge stockpiled with McDonald’s food.
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