Swedish producer The Absolut Company, owned by the French company Pernod Ricard, has decided to stop exporting Absolut vodka to Russia amid criticism following reports that shipments had resumed a week ago. This is stated in a statement by the company's CEO Stephanie Durru, published on the website of The Absolut Company.
They decided to stop exporting due to the fact that calls appeared on social networks to boycott the brand. Users claimed that the company made a "gift to Putin" and several well-known bars and restaurants in Stockholm stopped selling Pernod Ricard products.
The company fulfills its duty and cares about employees and partners, whom it cannot subject to mass criticism in all forms, the statement said. Pernod Ricard also hopes to protect its employees in Russia from “criminal liability” and charges of “deliberate bankruptcy” by cutting off supplies.
“Since the outbreak of war in February 2022, Pernod Ricard’s primary concern has always been and remains to ensure the well-being of its teams in the region, their personal safety and the safety of their families. (…) Our subsidiaries in the surrounding regions have mobilized all available resources to support our Ukrainian colleagues. Since March 2022, in full compliance with all applicable international sanctions and local legal restrictions, the Group's activities in Russia have been significantly reduced and marketing investments have been discontinued.
The site also clarifies that the company's decision will not prevent Absolut vodka from entering a parallel market that the company cannot control.
In April, The Absolut Company announced the resumption of exports to Russia. The company stopped deliveries to the Russian Federation in March 2022 after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Since last November, Russia changed import rules to allow parallel imports of alcohol, allowing some companies to circumvent EU sanctions.
Despite the fact that dozens of companies left Russia during more than a year of the war in Ukraine, most companies headquartered in the EU and G7 countries continue to work in Russia, economists from Switzerland found out . Since February 24, more than 1,000 foreign companies have left the Russian Federation, including Microsoft, Netflix, McDonald's, Johnson & Johnson and others.
