Starbucks to Exit Russian Market, Shutter 130 Stores

Starbucks is leaving the Russian market and closing all of its 130 locations there, the company announced Monday.

The U.S. coffee giant, which has had a presence in Russia since 2007, had initially suspended its operations in the country in early March as foreign brands pulled out en masse over the Kremlin’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine.

“Starbucks has made the decision to exit and no longer have a brand presence in the market,” the company’s statement says.

However, it promised to pay its almost 2,000 Russian employees for the next six months and help them transition to new jobs. 

Starbucks’ exit from the Russian market comes a week after U.S. fast-food giant McDonald’s pulled out of the country, selling its locations to a Russian franchisee to be operated under a different brand name.