// M&S faces backlash for its fundraising efforts for Ukraine despite its Russian franchise stores remaining open
// M&S has now stopped shipments to its franchise partner in the country
Marks & Spencer has faced criticism from shoppers after sharing its fundraising efforts for Ukraine.
M&S has joined an extensive list of other retailers attempting to help support Ukrainian civilians amid the ongoing Russian invasion, however, some shoppers criticised it for doing so while its Russian franchise stores remained open.
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The retailer has been running a charitable donation for Ukraine at the checkouts. Shoppers are able to give money to Unicef with M&S doubling all donations made.
In a Facebook post last week, M&S said: “We want to do everything we can to support the children and families of Ukraine…From this weekend, we’ll be activating giving at our till-points, and at M&S.com. Sparks customers can select Unicef UK as their chosen charity, and we will make double donations every time you shop at M&S.”
However, some shoppers have criticised M&S for “not going far enough”.
One user said: “But you also need to close all your Russian branches, stopping shipments does not go far enough.”
M&S has now issued a statement, and has suspended shipments to its Turkish franchise partner, which runs its Russian stores.
The statement read: “Given the unfolding humanitarian crisis following the invasion of Ukraine, M&S has suspended shipments to our Turkish franchisee’s Russian business.
“We are doing everything we can to support the people of Ukraine and in response to the growing refugee crisis, we are building on our existing support for Unicef UK’s Ukraine appeal with a £1.5 million package to support the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and Unicef to help children and families in need.”
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