Zoom in / Acer has continued selling laptops, such as Chromebooks, in Russia after it said it had suspended business there, Reuters reports.
In a Reuters report on Thursday, Acer said it sold monitors in Russia after publicly announcing it would suspend business there because of the Russia-Ukraine war. In a Reuters report, Acer claimed to have sold a “limited number of displays and accessories” for “civilian everyday use”. In addition, Reuters reported that Acer sold laptops in Russia after saying it would not do so.
On April 8, 2022, Acer, like many tech companies (see: HP, Dell, Microsoft, Intel, Nvidia, etc.), said it would not do business in Russia for the foreseeable future.
Acer strictly adheres to applicable international trade laws and regulations and closely monitors the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. At the time, due to recent developments, Acer decided to suspend its business in Russia, the company’s statement said.
Despite this, Acer reportedly continued to sell monitors to Russia, primarily through delivery services ordered by the Swiss company’s Acer Sales International SA. Reuters indicated that Acer never explained why it sold anything to Russia after it said it had suspended its business there.
The subsidiary did not respond to a Reuters request for comment, as did Russia’s Ministry of Industry and Trade. The Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs told the newspaper it does not comment on specific cases or companies. Acer’s Russian business told Reuters “nothing has changed” since Acer claimed it would stop doing business in Russia.
Reuters said it saw “customs records taken from a commercial trade data provider” showing that Acer sold at least $70.4 million worth of computers to Russia between April 8, 2022 and March 31, 2023.
Acer allegedly did less business with Russia than before 2022. In terms of dollars and cents, business was down 71.1 percent year-over-year from April 8, 2022, to March 31, 2023, rising from 3,735 shipments to 744 shipments. Anyone who heard Acer’s statement about dealing with Russia last year would expect that.
Although Acer said it only ships certain consumer monitors and accessories, Reuters quoted an anonymous person “with knowledge of shipping details, who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue,” as reporting that Acer has shipped laptops. And computer monitors to Russia since the company’s statement in April 2022. Acer has denied selling any laptops or desktop computers to Russia since making its statement.
Reuters said it could not determine the source of some Acer products available in Russia or when they arrived in Russia, but an Acer spokesperson told Reuters that Russian importers may have received them from other countries.
IDC Russia data cited by Reuters indicates that Acer has recently had notable business in Russia. In the fourth quarter of 2021, before Acer said it was pausing business in Russia. Acer reportedly accounts for 18.5 percent of PCs sold in Russia, compared to 20.8 percent for HP and Dell. sum, For example.
The penalties are valid, but what about Acer’s reputation?
A spokesman for Acer in Taiwan told Reuters that Acer’s sales said they were conducted in Russia after April 2022 “while ensuring compliance with international sanctions”.
“We strictly comply with applicable international regulations and trade laws regarding exports to Russia,” they said.
The reported exports came from Switzerland, which, despite its historically neutral position, adopted EU sanctions against Russia in February 2022. But passing through Switzerland still allowed Acer to send computers to Russia until December 16, 2022. Nothing was sent. . Reuters said after that time.
The post did not mention any exports from Taipei and said Taiwan had no customs records for Acer’s exports of goods to Russia. If it had done so, Taiwan’s Economy Ministry told Reuters, Acer would have violated sanctions covering electronics such as laptops and monitors.
But as mentioned earlier, the sanctions have not stopped people in Russia from obtaining goods made outside the country. For example, a January 2023 report from The New York Times found data showing “spikes in trade to some of Russia’s neighbors and allies, suggesting that countries like Turkey, China, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan are stepping in to provide Russia with many” of the products that Western countries have tried to cut off.
“Analysts estimate that Russia’s imports may have already recovered to pre-war levels, or will recover soon, depending on their models,” the January report said.
It is not difficult to find examples client Already declaring the loss of Acer’s respect on social media since the Reuters report was published. in interview With a Taiwan-based TV station, corporate compliance expert John Eastwood was among them deeper, He said Acer’s actions were “embarrassing” not only to Acer, but to Taiwan, which has long faced potential external threats of its own.
