Auchan employs 30,000 people in Russia. Sputnik/ABACA
DECRYPTION – While many French companies have left the country since the invasion of Ukraine, a handful of groups have nevertheless decided to continue operating at the same pace as before the conflict.
«Auchan has turned into a weapon of Russian aggression», accused the head of Ukrainian diplomacy, Dmytro Kouleba, on Twitter on Friday. The distributor would have done well without this controversy. A survey of Monde accuses an employee of its Russian subsidiary of having organized, last spring, a collection of a total value of 25,000 euros (pork stew, socks, cigarettes, axes and nails, gas stoves) for the army of Vladimir Poutine.
Auchan, which realizes with its 230 stores located in Russia 10% of its world sales, denies having organized such a collection. He received an order from the St. Petersburg City Hall. “Nothing in the products ordered was then likely to raise questions from the company about a particular final destination”, assures Auchan, which employs 30,000 people in Russia. If its sales in the country have stalled, it is above all the reputational risk that is plunging the brand into trouble.
Approaching…
This article is for subscribers only. You have 85% left to discover.
Flash Sale -70%
Offer available until February 28. Without engagement.
Already subscribed? Login