Robin Mills, Managing Director, Compass Group UK & Ireland, has issued a statement regarding the company's movements since Russia's war on Ukraine broke out.
Mills started, 'With the worsening humanitarian crisis at the forefront of our minds, I wanted to provide an update on the actions our UK & Ireland business has been taking.
'I am proud of how our teams have come together to help those in need. This conflict strikes at the very heart of our values and it’s been great to see so many colleagues coming forward with their fundraising initiatives and ideas and I want to thank you all for your efforts
'We continue to closely support all of our Ukrainian colleagues and their families during this difficult time. We had contacted them all to offer help, and we continue to stay in touch.'
Mills wemt on, 'We are also conscious that Ukrainian nationals will be attempting to find a safe future in this country and we have started to identify actions we could take to help them. We have identified an initial 100 vacancies across our operations which we will hold open for incoming refugees looking to resettle in the UK.
'We hope in the fullness of time to provide more, and with the right support and training, anticipate we’ll be able to provide sustainable futures for many.'
Mills moved on to wholesalers, 'While our supply chain is mainly British, in line with Compass Group’s decision to permanently exit the Russian market and move away from all known Russian suppliers, in the UK & Ireland we have been reviewing our supply chain and client portfolio. We are currently sourcing alternative suppliers in place of a handful of Russian food and drink businesses.
'We fully support the Government’s sanction regime and our cleaning and catering colleagues at Chelsea Football Club are now operating within the Government’s “general licence” that has been set up to enable fixtures to continue. We will also ensure none of our people are left without work or alternative sources of income whilst we operate under this license.'
Mills closed, 'Our thoughts are with the people of Ukraine and everyone impacted by these terrible events. We will continue to do as much as we can to support them in any way we can.'