Originally published September 4, 2007 at 12:00 AM | Page modified September 4, 2007 at 2:03 AM
Russians to sip Starbucks java this Thursday
Starbucks plans to open its first Russian coffee shop this week in a mall north of Moscow with a coffee-drink menu its fans will recognize...
Seattle Times business reporter
Starbucks plans to open its first Russian coffee shop this week in a mall north of Moscow with a coffee-drink menu its fans will recognize, along with food tailored to local tastes.
Local favorites such as honey cake and cinnamon buns with custard filling will be sold alongside Starbucks' traditional blueberry muffins, and some sandwiches will include a popular Russian tomato bread, Cliff Burrows, Starbucks president for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, said Monday from Amsterdam.
Starbucks will open Thursday in Mega Khimki, a large Ikea-developed mall that already has five cafes. Unlike some coffee shops in Russia, it will not serve alcoholic drinks or allow smoking.
Starbucks' second Russian store will be on central Moscow's historic and touristy Stary Arbat Street, but Burrows did not disclose an opening date.
Although Starbucks arrives in Russia later than some Western retailers and already faces robust competition from other coffee-shop chains, Burrows sees plenty of room for growth.
"Moscow itself is incredibly dynamic in embracing international brands and developing local brands," he said.
Moscow has one coffeehouse for every 3,187 people, while New York has one per 365 people and Paris one per 126 people, Burrows said, citing recent data from market-research firm Euromonitor International.
This summer, Starbucks brought a handful of employees from its first Russian stores to train in Seattle, where they learned more about coffee and helped serve customers here.
Burrows declined to say how many stores Starbucks expects to have in Russia by the end of the year or where it will go after Moscow.
Earlier reports from its joint-venture partner there, Kuwaiti-based M.H. Alshaya, say it hopes to have 10 Starbucks stores in Moscow and St. Petersburg by the end of the year.
Starbucks chose Alshaya as its partner in Russia because the Kuwait company has experience there and operates Starbucks locations in several foreign markets, mostly in the Middle East, Burrows said.
The Seattle chain aims to have 20,000 international stores some day.
Melissa Allison: 206-464-3312 or mallison@seattletimes.com
Copyright © 2007 The Seattle Times Company
UPDATE - 09:46 AM
Exxon Mobil wins ruling in Alaska oil spill case
UPDATE - 09:32 AM
Bank stocks push indexes higher; oil prices dip
UPDATE - 08:04 AM
Ford CEO Mulally gets $56.5M in stock award
UPDATE - 07:54 AM
Underwater mortgages rise as home prices fall
NEW - 09:43 AM
Warner Bros. to offer movie rentals on Facebook

nwautos
Turismo upgrade "Gran Turismo 5: XL Edition" for PlayStation 3 has features such as new car-tuning settings, new NASCAR vehicles, better replay video...
Post a comment
- Lakewood cop accused of embezzling $150K meant for slain officers' families
- 3 big health insurers stockpile $2.4 billion as rates keep rising
- Agency set to investigate handling of 911 call about Josh Powell
- Quick decisions: How Washington hired its new football staff
- Historic day for gay marriage as another fight looms
- Justin Wilcox's versatile defensive style is the right fit for Huskies | Jerry Brewer
- It's Terrence Time: Enigmatic Ross leads Huskies
- Social worker recounts minutes before Powell fire
- $25B settlement reached over foreclosure abuses
- Club promoter convicted in brutal 2010 murder of Des Moines prostitute
- Gay-marriage bill passes House, awaits Gregoire's signature
454 - Historic day for gay marriage as another fight looming
352 - 3 big health insurers stockpile $2.4 billion as rates keep rising
239 - Source: NY, California to sign mortgage settlement
228 - Wanted in Seattle classrooms: more teachers of color
215 - Oregon live game thread
155 - Pac-12 picks ... including the UW game
140 - Council members get briefing on arena proposal, minus details
95 - Worker: Josh Powell told son he had 'surprise'
90 - AP Source: Obama to change birth control rule
75
- State Medicaid program to stop paying for unneeded ER visits
- 3 big health insurers stockpile $2.4 billion as rates keep rising
- Wanted in Seattle classrooms: more teachers of color
- One man's audacious pursuit of sailing history
- Darren Berg gets 18-year sentence for Ponzi scheme
- $25B settlement reached over foreclosure abuses
- 'Gauguin and Polynesia': dazzling mix-and-match | Art review
- A wandering gene's destructive path | Book review
- Economy, blogs give survivalists new reason to look to Northwest
- Navy fliers' love-hate relationship with water-crash survival class







