The parent company of casual clothing retailer Uniqlo said Thursday that it will temporarily suspend Uniqlo’s business in Russia, marking a reversal from its chief executive’s comments last week that he intended to keep stores there open.
A spokeswoman for Uniqlo parent Fast Retailing Co. said the company will close the 50 Uniqlo stores in Russia over the next week to 10 days.
Fast Retailing cited operational challenges and “the worsening of the conflict situation" for its decision. It didn’t give details. The company said it wished for the return of peace and added that it has been supplying clothes to people fleeing Ukraine.
International protests had greeted a statement made last week to Japan’s Nikkei newspaper by Fast Retailing’s head, Tadashi Yanai. He said he wanted to continue business as usual in Russia because “clothing is a necessity of life" and “the people of Russia have the same right to live as we do."
This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text
