- Nike temporarily closed its online store in Russia because it can’t guarantee delivery.
- The news comes after major logistics companies including UPS and FedEx halt deliveries to Russia.
- Other brands, including Apple, have limited services in Russia in protest of its invasion of Ukraine.
Nike has temporarily halted online sales in Russia.
The sneaker giant posted a note on its Russian website this week informing shoppers that they will be unable to shop online or via its app because it can’t guarantee delivery in the country. Shoppers will still be able to buy its products in its brick-and-mortar stores in Russia, however.
Nike is among the major global brands reducing services in the country on account of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which started early Thursday when Russian troops invaded Ukraine.
While other brands, such as Apple, have chosen to take a stand against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and purposefully limit or outright cease services there, other brands have no choice as some of the world’s biggest logistics companies suspend business in the region.
Over the course of the past week, leading freight and shipping companies such as Maersk, FedEx, UPS, and DHL have stopped sending shipments to Russia.
A spokesman for Germany’s federal logistics association, DSLV, told Bloomberg that while deliveries are still being made by road, the number of companies doing so is rapidly diminishing.
Experts say that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could end up driving up already high ocean shipping rates in particular as the conflict causes many vessels to reroute and makes ongoing congestion issues at other ports even worse.
Nike does not break out sales numbers for its Russian business. However, EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) is its second biggest market overall, following the US. It has more than 100 stores in Russia, which makes this its third biggest market in terms of store count.
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