Dusseldorf The food manufacturer Dr. Oetker withdraws completely from Russia. The family business from Bielefeld said it had “stopped all exports to Russia, all investments in the Russian sister company and all national marketing activities” immediately after Russian troops invaded Ukraine, the company said on Friday morning. However, Dr. Oetker did not make this public. For example, no more pizza was delivered to Russia and all investment projects were stopped immediately.
The Bielefeld-based company is now announcing that the nutrient plant operated in the city of Belgorod – which has only produced staple foods such as yeast and baking powder for the Russian population since the beginning of the war – is being sold to the Russian management: “Dr. Oetker sells all shares in the Russian Dr. Oetker Organization to its previous Russian managing directors, thereby ending all of its activities in Russia.”
This is the first case in which a company has managed to completely withdraw from Russia. Since the outbreak of war, many companies have positioned themselves and announced that they want to withdraw from Russia. However, this is not trivial. There are many legal hurdles to be considered, for example a responsible solution must be found with the employees or a buyer for production facilities, shops or real estate.
dr Oetker has been involved in production in Russia for 20 years and most recently employed 150 people there. By selling the production to the local management, Dr. Oetker put the company in good hands, the company said when asked.
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“Dr. Oetker calls on the Russian government to end the war immediately”
The statement from the Bielefeld company goes on to say: “Dr. Oetker strongly condemns the Russian invasion of Ukraine and calls on the Russian government to end the war immediately and restore peace.”
More: Oetker Group with a new corporate structure – and shareholder