US company Mars (owner of brands such as Snickers, Twix, Mars, M&M’s, Skittles, Orbit, Pedigree, Royal Canin, and Whiskas) has leased over 40,000 sq m in a logistics complex under construction in Moscow, Forbes.ru reports.
Consultants say this is one of the largest recent warehouse real estate deals in Russia. According to them, Mars is leasing new warehouse space in Russia due to business growth.
The American company announced in March 2022 that it would cease new investments, halt advertising in Russia, and suspend imports and exports to and from the country.
Despite this, Mars was one of Russia’s largest revenue generators and top taxpayers in both 2022 and 2023. In 2023, the company made $2.9 billion in revenue in Russia and paid $99 million in profit tax alone.
In 2023, the Ukrainian government designated Mars an “international sponsor of war” based on the company’s significant material contribution to the Kremlin’s war efforts.
The company claims it’s focused on its “essential role in feeding the Russian people and pets” — because, apparently, Russians just can’t be left to suffer without M&M’s and Snickers. Given that Mars primarily sells chocolates and sweets — and has not clarified what it considers “essential” — this claim appears to stretch the idea of “essential” to justify continued profits in Russia.
Beyond Mars’ financial contributions to Russian coffers, the continued presence of its widely recognised brands normalises and implicitly condones the war in the eyes of the Russian population. This sends a signal to Russian consumers, investors, and the international community that large, familiar brands remain undeterred by the country’s aggressive war and militarised budget.
Additionally, the candy maker has not commented on B4Ukaine’s questions regarding Russian law that obliges companies to deliver conscription notices to their employees. B4Ukraine repeatedly reached out to Mars to initiate a dialogue, but received no response.
After more than three years of Russia’s illegal war, which has cost countless innocent Ukrainian lives, Mars has fully exhausted any moral justification for doing business in a state that disregards human life and international law.