The beauty-products firm Avon Products Inc. is within the highlight after a BBC report mentioned that Avon has maintained hyperlinks with Russia some 23 months after the unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
A slew of main Western firms, corresponding to Apple Inc.
AAPL,
Alphabet Inc.
GOOGL,
GOOG,
Amazon.com Inc.
AMZN,
International Business Machines Corp.
IBM,
and McDonald’s Corp.
MCD,
publicly left Russia after Vladimir Putin ordered forces throughout the Ukraine frontier on Feb. 24, 2022.
Shortly after Russia launched that invasion, Avon introduced the suspension of investments in Russia and the top of Russian exports to different markets. But, whereas Western firms have come beneath intense strain to exit Russia, the BBC experiences that Avon continues to be recruiting new gross sales brokers within the nation and is continuous manufacturing at a plant within the Moscow area.
In a press release despatched to MarketWatch, Avon described the corporate’s operations in Russia as “a critical support” for girls within the nation.
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“In terms of operations in Russia, Avon continues to provide its Representatives with the means to sustain their financial independence and is supplying their social selling businesses,” it mentioned. “We see this as critical support for women whose livelihoods depend on their Avon business and believe that restricting their access to selling products would have an outsize impact on women and children.”
The plant in Naro-Fominsk serves solely the Russia market and doesn’t export to different markets, Avon mentioned.
“For over 135 years, Avon has stood for women wherever they are in the world, regardless of ethnicity, nationality, age or religion.”
Avon’s dad or mum firm, Natura & Co
NTCO,
declined to remark when contacted by MarketWatch.
Related: Brazil’s Natura pronounces $3.7 billion buy of Avon
The Moral Rating Agency, a company arrange after the invasion of Ukraine to look at whether or not firms had been finishing up their guarantees to exit Russia, has slammed Avon over its Russian operation, accusing the corporate of “moralwashing.”
“[Avon] is weaponizing women’s issues and victimizing women for its own commercial interests,” mentioned Moral Rating Agency Founder Mark Dixon, in a press release.
“By hiring new people, keeping production going, and keeping products on the shelves, Avon is supporting the economy that pays for the invasion of Ukraine,” Dixon added. “Avon reps knocking on doors in Russia sends a ‘business as usual’ signal to Russian people while the West is trying to send them the message that Putin has made Russia a pariah state.”
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Also see (September 2023): Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin urges European allies to ‘dig deep’ and provide Ukraine with additional air defenses
MRA known as for a boycott of Avon. “The Avon reps around the world and consumers of Avon should boycott the company,” Dixon mentioned within the group’s assertion. “Ukraine should ban Avon from operating in its country in the future if it doesn’t get out of Russia now.”
“We are giving Avon a new slogan — ‘Beauty & The Beast,’ ” Dixon added.
Read on:
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Why the exodus of Western firms out of Russia market after Ukraine invasion hasn’t absolutely materialized
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Source web site: www.marketwatch.com
