Absolut vodka maker will stop exporting to Russia due to boycott threats – 04/18/2023 – Market

The Swedish alcoholic beverage manufacturer The Absolut Company announced this Tuesday (18) that it will stop exporting its vodka, one of the most sold in the world, to Russia, after the brand received threats, on social networks, of a boycott in Sweden.

The company “has decided to stop exporting its brand to Russia”, it announced in a note, invoking the need to protect its employees and partners “in the face of massive criticism in all its forms”.

A spokesman for Pernod Ricard, the French group that owns The Absolut Company, said the decision only affects Absolut and not the group’s other brands, number 2 in alcoholic beverages.

Last week, Pernod Ricard confirmed to AFP that it had resumed its alcohol exports to Russia, after initially suspending them due to the invasion of Ukraine.

The decision was heavily criticized by several politicians, including Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, who expressed his “disappointment”.

Pernod Ricard justified his decision by resuming exports as a measure to protect his employees in Russia and by Moscow’s decision to allow imports of alcohol without permission, “dodging sanctions”.

These explanations did not convince Sweden, where several famous Stockholm bars and restaurants stopped selling Pernod Ricard products.