With the war in Ukraine raging and the death toll mounting, Mango is taking steps to help relieve the suffering of its colleagues in the country and has suspended its operations in Russia.
The global Spanish fashion brand said Thursday that it is providing financial support for employees remaining in Ukraine, and providing legal and financial support to employees and their relatives who left Ukraine, as well as mentoring the situation closely.
Mango closed its 14 stores in Ukraine on Feb. 24 at the beginning of the war.
Mango is also providing support and assistance to Ukrainian and Russian employees at its headquarters in Barcelona.
In Russia, where Mango has 800 employees, the company has temporarily closed its 55 company-owned stores and its online platform, and has stopped deliveries to the country.
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There are also 65 Mango franchised stores in Russia, which the company said will be able to continue to operate and distribute Mango products, subject to stock availability.
Mango made a donation of 100,000 euros to the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, which has already provided assistance to people affected by almost eight years of conflict in the Donbas region of Ukraine, the company said in a statement Thursday.
“The funds will be allocated to promoting urgent action to provide services, attend to the population and reduce the humanitarian impact of this crisis. The Spanish Red Cross supports the actions of the Movement in the region, and also offers assistance to people of Ukrainian origin in a vulnerable situation in Spain,” Mango said.
Mango is also donating clothes and working with organizations to distribute them to refugees.
“All of us at Mango feel very close to all of those who are suffering during this moment of uncertainty,” the company said in its statement. “For this reason, with sadness and concern, we are following the evolution of the geopolitical situation minute by minute, focusing our efforts on looking after our teams and customers.
“From this moment, Mango is making itself available to its employees in the country, as well as franchisees and other partners, in order to attend to their needs.”
Mango has operations in more than 110 countries and generated more than 1.84 billion euros in 2020, of which the online channel represented 42 percent.
Close to a million of Ukraine’s 44 million residents have fled the country so far.
On Wednesday, the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine said it recorded 752 civilian casualties in Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion, while Ukrainian officials have said more than 2,000 civilians have died since the war started.
In addition to Mango, many fashion and retail brands have taken action in response to the war in Ukraine, by either temporarily ceasing operations, providing financial assistance or making clothing donations.
Among them, H&M temporarily shuttered its 170 stores in Russia, and its nine stores in Ukraine; Nike announced that its online and app purchases are unavailable in Russia, due to the inability to guarantee deliveries to customers in the country, and Apple has stopped sales in Russia, as previously reported by WWD.
Puma stopped deliveries to its stores in Russia and is offering housing options in western Ukraine and Poland, as well as financial support.
In his first State of the Union address Tuesday, U.S. President Joe Biden announced the U.S. Justice Department’s plans for a new task force that will go after the assets of Russian oligarchs, and that the U.S. will take other steps to address Russia’s aggression in Ukraine.