Starbucks comes to Russia:
KHIMKI, Russia, Sept. 6 — With the hiss of an espresso machine and a note in Russian explaining the meanings of “tall,” “grande” and “venti,” Starbucks opened its first coffee shop in Russia on Thursday in a mall in this city near Moscow.
The opening sealed a victory for the company in a fight with a trademark squatter who had kept Starbucks from coming to Russia for more than three years, just as a coffeehouse culture was emerging here. Starbucks refused to pay the squatter to yield the Starbucks name in Russia and eventually prevailed in court.
The dispute illustrates the challenges Starbucks will face as it strives to expand outside the United States, where growth is expected to slow. Starbucks intends to open 20,000 coffee shops overseas while expanding to about that number at home.
With the opening of the first Russian cafe, Starbucks, which is based in Seattle, now operates in 43 countries, said Carole Pucik, a Starbucks spokeswoman. The company plans to open a flagship Russian shop on Old Arbat Street, a prime address in downtown Moscow, later this year. “We see lots of opportunity here,” Ms. Pucik said.
The menu of basic coffee drinks is the same as in the United States, and indeed everywhere in the world, Ms. Pucik said. The sandwiches and baked goods are adapted for local tastes. The Russian shop, for example, offers a mushroom-and-cheese sandwich.
Get them hooked on caffeine, then everything will fall into place.
