Lush keeps Russian stores open as staff share values of ‘social justice and peace’

Lush stores are to remain open in Russia after the ethical cosmetics brand said that staff in the country share its “values of environmental protection, animal rights, social justice and peace”.

The business said that it is unable to shut the 48 shops because they are run by a Russian licensee under a longstanding legal agreement.

Lush – whose founder, Mark Constantine, was previously a backer of Extinction Rebellion – has suspended supplies into Russian stores and halted online sales in the country. 

It said: “Our Russian and Ukrainian businesses are associate companies, both 65pc owned by a Russian citizen who had built the business over 20 years… employing over 600 staff who share the Lush values of environmental protection, animal rights, social justice and peace.”

The business pledged to “stand with Ukraine and with all people of peace in the region”. It said the Russian citizen could not be identified for privacy reasons, and it is working to acquire the shares in the Ukraine business that it does not already own. 

It came as a string of other companies joined a Western exodus. Disney paused all business in Russia, including TV channels, the licensing of products and sales of its National Geographic magazine.

The Japanese retailer Uniqlo U-turned on an earlier insistence that it would stay open and halted trading at its 50 stores in the country. Burger King said it was suspending support for its 800 Russian restaurants, although they are owned by a franchisee – like Lush – and may continue to trade.

Goldman Sachs emerged as the first Wall Street bank to leave Russia, days after moving some of its Moscow-based staff to Dubai, while elite City law firm Clifford Chance shut up shop and the mining business Rio Tinto said it is in the process of terminating commercial relationships with Russian partners.

Lush has come in for particular scrutiny given it lauds its ethical credentials, running campaigns over imports of fur and foie gras into the UK, and making its products “100pc vegetarian” and “95pc vegan”. 

In 2018, it ran a campaign to highlight misconduct by undercover police – something it maintained was “not an anti-police campaign”, but which was met with criticism. 

Che Donald, the national vice-chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales, branded the advertising drive “very poorly thought out”.

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