Starbucks sees Romania as springboard into the region

The opening of the first Starbucks coffee shop in Romania, which is also the first investment of the group in Central and Eastern Europe, comes five years after the American company Starbucks signed a partnership with Greek company Marinopoulos, creating the Marinopoulos Coffee Company. According to company representatives, five years ago they viewed Romania as an interesting location, but plans to enter the local market only began to take shape in the last eighteen months, when the process of securing permits and of searching for locations started. “Our entry onto the Romanian market is part of a strategic plan for the region. We have chosen the Romanian capital as a starting point for developments, from which we intend to expand on a larger scale. We believe people in Romania have a traditional appreciation of coffee and the potential for growth is very high. Additionally, our partners (Marinopoulos) were already present here with some franchises of their own (Marks & Spencer and Sephora),” stated Cliff Burrows, chairman of Starbucks for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Starbucks will continue its expansion by the opening of the new coffee shop, which will be located within the Bucuresti Mall, and likely to open in May. Afterwards the company will be looking for street front locations, Burrows says.