Read: Compass Group issues statement on the war in Ukraine and donates to humanitarian response

We have all been shocked and saddened by the tragic events unfolding in Ukraine and we condemn in the strongest possible terms the Russian state’s acts of aggression against Ukraine and its people. Our thoughts are with everyone who has been affected.

To support the humanitarian response, we are making an initial donation of £250,000 to charities on the ground, while our businesses and colleagues around the world continue to provide donations of food and financial aid towards the growing refugee crisis in Eastern Europe. Our response in neighbouring countries is being led by our local management teams, who stand ready to mobilise at pace and at scale to feed refugees entering the EU.

Though we have no operations in Ukraine, we are in regular contact with our Ukrainian colleagues working in other countries and have made emotional and financial support available to them and their families, including accommodation, food donations, and job offers for displaced relatives.

In light of recent events, the Group has taken the decision to permanently exit the Russian market and will be moving away from all known Russian suppliers. We are well underway with those actions.

We continue to monitor developments closely and stand with the international community in calling for an urgent and peaceful resolution to this conflict.

Dominic Blakemore, Group Chief Executive Officer