Showed loyalty
Many international brands announced their withdrawal from the Russian market. Most often they talk about the “suspension” of activities, but how long this suspension will last and under what conditions companies will be ready to return to Russia (and under what conditions they will still be allowed back) is a big question. We talk about foreign retailers who continued to work in Russia and their positions.
Queue for furniture and burgers
Let's start with those who left, although listing the remaining players is certainly easier. The Russian market has temporarily (let's believe it) left IKEA, McDonald's and Starbucks, H&M, Lego, Nike, Obi, Inditex in full force and other brands and retailers.
What guides foreign brands that continue to work in Russia
The greatest excitement was caused by the closures of IKEA and Uniqlo, queues for which spiraled through shopping centers. Just to get to the store, you had to defend two or three hours. Whoever managed to snatch an extra shark put it up for tens or even hundreds of thousands of rubles on Avito. The top three sensational closures, perhaps, will include McDonald's: people tried to eat their last burgers, fill refrigerators with them, take ten to twenty sauces. Well, the resellers distinguished themselves here too, at Avito they sold both “still warm” purchases and empty packages. It all sounds crazy, but everyone is escaping with panic as best they can.
Doubted but gone
The already mentioned Uniqlo was one of the few foreign fashion retailers that tried not to support the cancel culture towards Russians. The head of the largest Asian retailer Fast Retailing, Tadashi Yanai, issued a wise statement saying that “clothes are a vital necessity, and Russia has the same right to life as we do.” And he assured that all 50 Uniqlo stores would continue to operate in Russia. It was on March 7, and on March 10, Fast Retailing announced that all 50 Uniqlo stores in Russia would be suspended "due to temporary difficulties."