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On Monday, Swedish truckmaker Volvo said it would stop sales and production at its Kaluga plant, and telecom giant Ericsson also said it would stop deliveries to Customers in Russia. On Wednesday, Swedish apparel giant H&M said it would stop all sales in its Russian stores. On Thursday, Swedish streaming service Spotify announced the closure of its offices in Russia, but for now Russians can still access it.
Sweden's IKEA announced on Thursday that it would suspend operations in Russia and Belarus, affecting nearly 15,000 employees, 17 stores and three production sites in response to the Russian-Ukrainian war.
"War has had a huge impact on humanity. It has also led to severe disruptions in supply chains and terms of trade. For all these reasons, IKEA has decided to temporarily suspend its operations in Russia," IKEA said in a statement.
Inter IKEA Group has decided to suspend all imports and exports to and from Russia and Belarus. Suspension of all IKEA Industry production operations in Russia. This also means that all deliveries from all sub-suppliers to these units will be suspended.
Ingka Group has decided to suspend all of IKEA's retail operations in Russia, while the shopping mall Mega will remain open to ensure that many people in Russia have access to their daily needs and necessities such as food, groceries and medicines.
These decisions have a direct impact on 15,000 IKEA employees. IKEA will ensure near-term employment and income stability and provide support to them and their families in the region.
IKEA and renowned humanitarian organizations have launched several initiatives throughout IKEA to support the affected populations and provide emergency relief to areas most in need.
The IKEA Foundation, funded by the INCA Foundation, today announced an immediate donation of €20 million to provide humanitarian assistance to people forcibly displaced by the conflict in Ukraine. This is in response to an urgent appeal from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to expand its assistance and protection for people affected by the conflict in Ukraine.
In addition, Inter IKEA Group and Ingka Group initially allocated €10 million each to provide product support and other assistance to UNHCR, Save the Children and other organizations working in local markets.
This announcement follows IKEA's initial announcement that it would open its stores in Russia, which was criticized in Sweden. In the future, according to the development of the situation in Russia and Ukraine, more companies will stop operating in Russia.