Lego closes Russia business, lays off 90 staff
Lego is closing its business in Russia indefinitely and laying off its 90 Moscow-based mostly employees, owing to “extensive disruption” in the state, the Danish toymaker reported on Tuesday.
Lego has terminated its deal with franchisee Ingenious Retail Team (IRG), which owned and operated 81 suppliers on Lego’s behalf.
IRG, which also operated shops in Russia for Western manufacturers these kinds of as Nike
(NKE) and Samsung
(SSNLF), claimed before on Tuesday that the agreement with Lego experienced been terminated.
“LEGO Team has made the decision to indefinitely cease commercial functions in Russia supplied the continued intensive disruption in the operating environment,” a Lego spokesperson claimed.
An IRG spokesperson said: “Our enterprise will carry on to get the job done as an expert in the toy style and progress classification.”
Lego paused shipments to Russia in March and explained in June it was temporarily freezing some stores owing to supply problems.
The Russian edition of Inc. Magazine noted previously on Tuesday that Lego was halting professional pursuits in Russia indefinitely and breaking off its contract with IRG.
Corporations such as Nike
(NKE) and Cisco
(CSCO) have announced their departures from Russia in modern months as the tempo of Western corporations leaving accelerates after Russia despatched troops into Ukraine in February in what it conditions a “special procedure.”
