Danish toy maker Lego announced on Tuesday that it would permanently stop sales in Russia due to the war in Ukraine affecting 81 stores operated by a Russian distributor.
The group responsible for the famous plastic bricks “decided to indefinitely stop its commercial activities in Russia” and “end its cooperation” with Russian distributor Inventive Retail Group, “which owned and operated 81 stores on behalf of the brand,” he told reporters. news agency AFP, press secretary.
He indicated that the multinational corporation would also cut the jobs of “the majority of its team based in Moscow.”
In early March, Lego had already made the decision to suspend shipments to Russia following its invasion of Ukraine, but the stores operated by Inventive Retail Group remained open and continued to sell their “stocks”.
“We confirm the termination of the Lego contract,” a spokesperson for the subcontractor said, adding that the organization “will continue to operate as a specialist in the construction and educational toy category.”
At this stage, Inventive Retail Group has not announced any job cuts.
In early May, Russia included Lego products in the list of 100 categories of goods, the import of which is allowed without the consent of the copyright holders.
Among these products were also Apple and Samsung “smartphones”, major car brands, game consoles, and even materials and spare parts used in the industry.
Lego recorded a profit in Russia at 63% for the year in 2021, 1.8 billion rubles (about 30 million euros at the current exchange rate), according to the Spark database, quoted by the Russian newspaper RBC.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
