AFP
New York (AFP) – Nike will not renew licensing agreements in Russia, the company said Wednesday, joining a growing list of Western companies pulling back from the country following the invasion of Ukraine.
The move affects licensed retailers as Nike shuttered company-owned stores two months ago soon after Moscow sent troops into the neighboring country.
“Our business remains on pause and we are providing pay continuity to our employees.”
IRG's website shows 37 Nike locations, nine of which are listed as “temporarily closed.”
“As you can see from our stores, deliveries are suspended and the goods are in short supply,” IRG spokeswoman Lyudmila Semushina told AFP. “In the current realities, we cannot continue to support the work of Nike mono-brand stores and will be forced to close them.”
Nike's move comes just two days after Starbucks said it was shuttering its 130 cafes in the country, and last week, McDonald's announced its exit from Russia, where it had 850 restaurants employing 62,000 workers.
