Coffee to go: Starbucks quits Russia over Ukraine war

Decision comes a week after McDonald’s announced Russian market exit

A Starbucks shop in Moscow (AFP via Getty Images)

Starbucks has become the latest western business to pull out of Russia over its war in Ukraine.

The American company announced on Monday that it was permanently shutting all of its 130 stores and ending its brand presence in the country, more than two months after it first suspended its business activities there.

The departure of Starbucks from Russia follows the exit of firms including McDonald’s and British American Tobacco (BAT).

In a memo sent to employees on Monday, the coffee company said it would help its 2,000 Russian staff to transition to new jobs by paying them for the next six months.

Earlier this year, Starbucks promised to donate profits from its Russian operations to charity.

However, it soon stopped delivering products to Russia and temporarily closed its shops.

“We condemn the unprovoked, unjust and horrific attacks on Ukraine by Russia, and our hearts go out to all those affected,” the then Starbucks boss Kevin Johnson said in March.

“The invasion and humanitarian impact of this war are devastating and create a ripple effect that is felt throughout the world,” he added.

Mr Johnson also said the company would monitor the war in Ukraine and would make decisions “that are true to our mission and values and communicate with transparency”.

Starbucks’ move comes 15 years after it first opened its business in Russia.

McDonald’s said last week that it was leaving the Russian market after a 30-year presence there, with CEO Chris Kempczinski saying the decision had been taken because it was “impossible to ignore the humanitarian crisis caused by the war in Ukraine”.