Starbucks is exiting Russia, following McDonald's lead

• Starbucks is closing Russian locations after suspending business in March.
• The chain's 130 Russian stores make up less than 1% of global revenue.

Starbucks is pulling out of Russia and closing its 130 stores in the country, the chain announced on Monday. It opened its first Russian location in 2007.

"Starbucks has made the decision to exit and no longer have a brand presence in the market," the company told Insider in a statement. "We will continue to support the nearly 2,000 green apron partners in Russia, including pay for six months and assistance for partners to transition to new opportunities outside of Starbucks."

The licensed stores were run by a franchise operator group based out of Kuwait, the Alshaya Group, and not under the direct control of Starbucks. Former CEO Kevin Johnson previously suspended all business in Russia on March 8 following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Before closing the stores, he pledged to donate any royalties from Russian business to relief efforts in Ukraine.

Russian stores are a relatively minor part of Starbucks' global business, making up less than 1% of annual revenue globally.

Starbucks is once again following the lead of McDonald's, which announced plans to leave Russia on May 16. McDonald's was the first major restaurant chain to suspend Russian business in March and was soon followed by Starbucks, Yum Brands, Papa John's, and Burger King.

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