Starbucks Closing Up Shop Throughout Russia

Russians already lost their Big Macs. Now, Starbucks is going, too. The coffee chain said Monday it's following the lead of McDonald's and other Western businesses and will exit Russia after 15 years to protest the invasion of Ukraine, reports NPR. The coffee chain will close its 130 shops and pay its approximately 2,000 Russian employees wages for another six months. Starbucks had temporarily suspended Russian operations in March, but on Monday the company said in a statement it "has made the decision to exit and no longer have a brand presence in the [Russian] market."

Starbucks leased its shops in Russia to independent contractors, and it took time to unwind the legalities, notes CNBC, which adds that the Russian business made up less than 1% of the company's annual revenue. McDonald's, by contrast, had been in Russia twice as long, and its operations there and in Ukraine accounted for about 9% of revenue in 2021. McDonald's had 850 restaurants in Russia, all of which have been sold. (More Starbucks stories.)