The rebranded successor of the Starbucks coffee chain has opened with a local logo. The recent rebranding of a Western franchise had left the nation over its invasion of Ukraine.
Global chain shop of coffee, Starbucks, which used to employ almost 2,000 people across its 130 stores in Russia, has suspended its function in Russia on March 10. The Seattle-based company has announced about its full exit from Russia in May after around 15 years in the market.
The rebranded name after Starbucks chain, Stars Coffee has reopened its first coffee shop in the central area of Moscow on Thursday.
A prominent pro-Kremlin rapper Timati, co-owners Timur Yunusov and restauranteur Anton Pinskiy, have highlighted new brand with a logo that closely matches with Starbucks siren.
The siren has been changed by a woman wearing a Russian headdress called a kokoshnik instead of a crown.
Pinskiy said, “Apart from the circle, you won’t find anything which is common between Starbucks and Stars Coffee logos.”
Meanwhile, Starbucks, whose Russian locations had been estimated to represent less than 1% of the company’s yearly revenues, refused to remark on the similarity between its logo and name.
As per reports, among Stars Coffee’s other replacements is Starbucks’ famous Frappuccino blended ice coffee drink being sold as “Frappucito.”
The new Stars Coffee franchise is likely to open ten more Moscow shops later this month, then will reopen completely around the country in the month of September.
Overall 90 Stars Coffee shops are likely to be operational in Moscow and with 15 in St Petersburg and 15 in other cities.
Stars Coffee is the latest example of a major Western brand selling its assets to Russian owners, with McDonalds, Deloitte, and Ernst & Young all restarting operations under new names and ownership.