L’Occitane has decided to keep its stores in Russia open amid fears that closing them will see its 700 employees “face retaliation”.
In a statement released earlier this week, the beauty retailer stated that although it has significantly scaled back operations in Russia and suspended all investments, shipments and expansion plans, it believes that closing stores will put its employees at risk.
The news coincides with other brands such as Accor, Marriot and Burger King, struggling to completely pull out of Russia as a result of franchise agreement complications.
“Considering the scale of the consequences that such a move could have for our employees, we have decided to keep our stores open,” L’Occitane Groups said.
“At this point, we cannot guarantee that our 700 employees in Russia will not face retaliation if we cease to operate in the country. We are particularly concerned for those of our employees who have relatives in Ukraine or who are of Ukrainian descent.”
READ MORE: Heineken shuts down all operations in Russia predicting a loss of €400m
The French brand intends to focus on the safety of its partners and staff members in Ukraine and Russia, many of whom have worked for the company for 20 years and have relatives on both sides of the border.
The firm added: “At the same time, we are firmly committed to our partners and their employees in Ukraine.”
“Along with our charity work, including a company donation of €260,000 to UNICEF, we will launch an internal sponsorship program to provide the employees of our distributor in Ukraine with an income.”
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