Ikea suspends its activities in Russia and Belarus, 15,000 employees affected

The Swedish furniture retail giant Ikea announced the suspension of its activities in Russia and Belarus due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, affecting some 15,000 employees, 17 stores and three production factories.

“The war has a huge human impact and also translates into serious disruptions in the production and trade chain, which is why the group’s companies decided to temporarily suspend Ikea’s activities in Russia.”, the group said in a statement.

This announcement has an impact above all in Russia, where the Swedish group arrived in 2000 and is one of the main Western companies by number of workers. In Belarus, on the contrary, it has no stores and only works with a few suppliers.

“The devastating war in Ukraine is a human tragedy. Our deepest empathy and concern is with the millions of people affected”, highlights the Ikea group, divided into several consortiums.

“This decision will have a direct impact on nearly 15,000 workers, but the group’s companies ensure jobs and income, providing support for them and their families.”, explains the largest company in the sector.

the consortium ingkawhich controls most of the grocery stores Ikea in the world, and has 12,000 employees in Russia, is the most affected. Ikea, for its part, employs some 2,500 workers, most of them in production, and three factories in Russia, oriented mainly to the local market.

This group affirms that its decision will affect 47 suppliers in Russia, and 10 in Belarus, and that it also closes the door to import-export from (or to) these two countries.

Ikea had initially planned to keep its stores open in Russia, which cost it much criticism in Sweden.

The foundation Ikea On the other hand, he announced a donation of 20 million euros (about US$ 22 million) in response to the request of the UN to face the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.