Russian Starbucks For Sale! To Be Renamed Next Month!

Starbucks Exits Russian Market as Local Company Acquires All Assets

After Starbucks announced on March 8 that it was suspending operations in Russia — followed by a sudden May 24 declaration that it would exit the Russian market entirely — the brand's 130 stores in the country sat vacant for months.

Then on July 9, local media reported that the well-known Russian restaurant group Pinskiy & Co would acquire all of Starbucks' Russian assets and reopen them under a new name, though the deal was not yet done.

Finally, yesterday evening (local time July 30), Russian rapper Timati announced on Instagram that Pinskiy & Co had completed the acquisition of Starbucks' assets in Russia, without disclosing the financial terms.

According to the announcement, Starbucks' Russian assets were jointly acquired and will be managed by Anton Pinsky, founder of Pinskiy & Co, and the rapper Timati.

Pinsky said consumers shouldn't expect a dramatic rebrand, but he invited Russians to help create the new name and logo — and emphasized his ambition to make the brand even better than the world-famous "mermaid" from across the ocean.

Timati added that the first store would open in August, with more than 200 fully renovated stores set to open by September.

Anton Pinsky also confirmed the post on his own Instagram, noting that the name and logo were still under heated discussion.

New Coffee Chain Brand Emerges Without Name or Logo

In other words: a new coffee chain with no name and no logo has already announced that its first store opens in August, with plans to scale to more than 200 locations by September. What will they call it? Anyone's guess.

Background of Starbucks' Withdrawal from Russia

The exit traces back to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Then-CEO Kevin Johnson published an open letter condemning Russia's "unprovoked, unjust and horrific attacks" on Ukraine, and decided to end all franchising in Russia, redirecting related spending to humanitarian relief for the country.

Just over a month after suspending franchising, Starbucks announced its complete withdrawal. All 130 stores closed, and employees were dismissed after receiving six months' salary.

Acquisition Details and Future Plans

In early July, Starbucks' Russian business was taken over by Anton Pinsky, who at the time did not disclose the terms of the deal.

He had previously said that when Starbucks headquarters suspended Russian operations in March, he approached the brand's Russian operators with an acquisition offer. "Judging by the fact that we are now closing the deal, we made the most correct offer."

Russian market analysts had estimated the business was worth between 1.6 and 3 billion rubles — though given the dollar's potential slide at the time, a deal inside 700 million rubles wasn't out of the question.

Future of Russian Coffee Culture

With the acquisition settled, Starbucks — like McDonald's — will be renamed and resume operations. On June 12, Russian McDonald's reopened as "Vkusno i tochka" (Tasty, period).

The first renamed Starbucks store will appear in August. What name and logo will the Russian version unveil? Genuinely something to look forward to.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If a big-chain exit has you thinking about what coffee should taste like in the first place, this is a great moment to explore specialty beans for yourself. For beginners, FrontStreet Coffee recommends starting with an Ethiopian classic: the FrontStreet Natural Huakui from Sidama, a fully natural-process lot bursting with berry, floral, jackfruit, sweet melon, and honey notes, or the FrontStreet Washed Guodingding Cooperative from Yirgacheffe, with its jasmine florals, lemony brightness, and clean berry finish.

For a smooth, balanced everyday cup, the FrontStreet Brazil Queen Estate in Minas Gerais' Mogiana region is a rare Yellow Bourbon lot grown at 1400-1950m, hand-picked and carefully processed — expect the classic Brazilian richness of dark chocolate, cream, peanut, and sugarcane, delicious black or with milk. And for those who like their coffee deep and full-bodied, the FrontStreet Linong Mandheling, wet-hulled in Sumatra at 1100m from TimTim variety, delivers dark chocolate, toasted bread, hazelnut, and caramel with a thick, low-acid body — proof that great coffee is about the bean, not the brand on the door.