Starbucks opens first cafe in Russia
MOSCOW (AFP) — US coffee chain Starbucks opened its first cafe in Russia on Thursday, a spokeswoman said, following a prolonged legal dispute over the company's trademark.
"The first store opens today" in a shopping mall just outside Moscow, said Carol Pucik, a spokeswoman for Starbucks, which is by far the largest coffee chain in the world.
The food menu at the Moscow Starbucks features traditional offerings like blueberry muffins, as well as dishes designed for the local market such as honeycakes and mushroom sandwiches.
Dozens of customers visited the cafe on Thursday in the Mega mall, a popular shopping centre for Muscovites, but only just over half of the tables were occupied, an AFP reporter said.
The Seattle-based company has more than 13,000 cafes in 40 countries but faces tough competition from rival Russian chains Coffee House, which has 163 outlets in Moscow alone, and Shokoladnitsa, with 140 outlets in Russia.
A second Starbucks cafe is due to open later this year on Moscow's historic Stary Arbat street, the company said in a statement. The franchise for Starbucks in Russia is owned by Alshaya, a Kuwaiti retailer.
Starbucks last year won a lengthy legal dispute with a Moscow lawyer who claimed rights to the Starbucks trademark and wanted to sell the rights back to the firm.
The trademark dispute highlighted the business risks for global brands in Russia, where enforcement of legislation on intellectual property rights is weak.
