McDonald's cierra temporalmente sus 850 locales en Rusia por el "sufrimiento humano" en Ucrania

El grupo seguirá pagando a sus 62.000 empleados, proveedores y otros socios en el país, aseguró en un mensaje el director general de la empresa, Chris Kempczinski.

McDonald's era en cierta forma el símbolo de las grandes empresas que habían decidido hasta ahora proseguir con sus actividades en Rusia, casi dos semanas después de la invasión de Ucrania.

Pero cada vez estaba más presionado, en particular tras la etiqueta #BoycottMcDonalds en las redes sociales.

"La situación es extraordinariamente difícil para una marca mundial como la nuestra y hay muchas consideraciones a tener en cuenta", subrayó Kempczinski en su mensaje en el que recuerda al personal pero también a los proveedores y clientes.

Rusia, donde McDonald's gestiona directamente más del 80% de los restaurantes que llevan su nombre, representa también un 9% del volumen de negocio del grupo y el 3% de su beneficio operacional.

"Al mismo tiempo, respetar nuestros valores significa que no podemos ignorar el sufrimiento humano inútil que tiene lugar en Ucrania", agregó el comunicado.

McDonald's "seguirá evaluando la situación y determinará si son necesarias medidas adicionales", subrayó el responsable citado por la agencia de noticias AFP.

Actualmente, es "imposible predecir" cuándo podrán reabrir los restaurantes, dijo el directivo. Además de la situación humanitaria, el grupo debe gestionar las dificultades en la cadena de suministro y otros problemas operativos.

Otras grandes cadenas estadounidenses como Starbucks, KFC y Pizza Hut en Rusia son por su parte gestionadas por propietarios independientes bajo franquicia o licencia.

Yum! Brands, la casa matriz de KFC y Pizza Hut, anunció el lunes por la noche la suspensión de todas sus inversiones en el país y se comprometió, como Starbucks, a entregar todos los beneficios de sus actividades en Rusia a operaciones humanitarias.

Otras multinacionales como la compañía neerlandesa de cervezas Heineken y el grupo español Inditex, propietario de la marca de ropa Zara, se sumaron en los últimos días al boicot internacional contra Rusia por la invasión a Ucrania.

McDonald's To Temporarily Close Restaurants & Pause Operations in Russia
This article was originally sent via email from CEO Chris Kempczinski to McDonald’s employees and franchisees.

The conflict in Ukraine and the humanitarian crisis in Europe has caused unspeakable suffering to innocent people. As a System, we join the world in condemning aggression and violence and praying for peace.

Our number one priority from the start of this crisis has been – and will remain – our people.

As Ian Borden shared last week, the Company has provided immediate financial support to our team in Ukraine. We are continuing to pay full salaries for our Ukrainian employees and have donated $5 million to our Employee Assistance Fund, and continue to support relief efforts led by the International Red Cross in the region. We have been overwhelmed by the offers of support across the System and thank you for your generous contributions to date.

As many of our colleagues in Ukraine have sought refuge, they have found the familiar support of the McDonald’s System in new and unfamiliar places. In Poland and many other markets across Europe, our System has literally opened their homes, their hearts, and their restaurants. The Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) Poland Care Mobile is at the Polish-Ukrainian border to provide medical care and humanitarian aid for families and children, and another Care Mobile is on the way from RMHC Latvia. Additionally, RMHC Ukraine is deploying medical supplies and providing humanitarian aid throughout the country, and its programs are being repurposed for use by hospital personnel.

This support, enabled by our global System, is happening across Europe, and will continue to grow.

In recent days, I have spoken with and heard from many in our System about our operations in Russia. The situation is extraordinarily challenging for a global brand like ours, and there are many considerations. For 66 years, we have operated with the belief that communities are made better when there’s a McDonald’s nearby.

In Russia, we employ 62,000 people who have poured their heart and soul into our McDonald’s brand to serve their communities. We work with hundreds of local, Russian suppliers and partners who produce

the food for our menu and support our brand. And we serve millions of Russian customers each day who count on McDonald’s. In the thirty-plus years that McDonald’s has operated in Russia, we’ve become an essential part of the 850 communities in which we operate.

At the same time, our values mean we cannot ignore the needless human suffering unfolding in Ukraine. Years ago, when confronted with his own difficult decision, Fred Turner explained his approach quite simply: “Do the right thing.” That philosophy is enshrined as one of our five guiding values, and there are countless examples over the years of McDonald’s Corporation living up to Fred’s simple ideal. Today, is also one of those days.

Working closely in consultation with our Chairman, Rick Hernandez, and the rest of McDonald’s Board of Directors over the last week, McDonald’s has decided to temporarily close all our restaurants in Russia and pause all operations in the market. We understand the impact this will have on our Russian colleagues and partners, which is why we are prepared to support all three legs of the stool in Ukraine and Russia. This includes salary continuation for all McDonald’s employees in Russia.

Importantly, RMHC Russia will continue its full operations, just as RMHC Ukraine is partnering with local hospitals and providing humanitarian aid throughout the country.

Across the rest of Europe, we will stay focused on how McDonald’s can best help those in need, both now and in the future. We have already seen extraordinary leadership by our Ukrainian and Russian teams, and I know the rest of the McDonald’s System stands ready to support the large number of refugees who have been displaced by this conflict.

As we move forward, McDonald’s will continue to assess the situation and determine if any additional measures are required. At this juncture, it’s impossible to predict when we might be able to reopen our restaurants in Russia. We are experiencing disruptions to our supply chain along with other operational impacts. We will also closely monitor the humanitarian situation.

As always, McDonald’s will be guided by our values and our purpose to feed and foster communities across the globe.