Gifts / Sports & Toys

Chain operator Inventive Retail Group (IRG) said on Tuesday that Lego had terminated its contract to operate 81 of its stores in Russia, a move that could mean the end of the Danish toymaker's operations in Russia.

The Russian edition of Inc. magazine reported earlier on Tuesday that Lego had indefinitely halted commercial activities in Russia and terminated its contract with IRG. The magazine quoted LEGO Russia CEO Evgeny Chikhachev as saying: "In view of the continued severe disruption to the operating environment, we have decided to suspend business activities in Russia indefinitely."

It is worth mentioning that Lego has suspended shipments to Russia as early as March, and said in June that it temporarily froze some stores due to supply problems.