Starbucks Eyes Comeback to Russian Market
(MENAFN) Starbucks has officially registered its trademark with Russia’s intellectual property office, Rospatent, enabling the U.S. coffee giant to sell food and beverages under its iconic logo once again.
The Seattle-based company, which first entered Russia in 2007, withdrew from the market in 2022 following Western sanctions tied to the Ukraine conflict. However, the new trademark, registered on October 1, grants Starbucks exclusive rights until May 2034, according to the Rusprofile business database.
This trademark covers an extensive array of services, including restaurants, cafes, cafeterias, snack bars, coffee and tea bars, teahouses, take-out services, bars, catering, as well as food and beverage preparation and contract supply. It also extends to loyalty programs designed to reward returning customers.
Starbucks’ former Russian outlets were rebranded as “Stars Coffee” in 2022, after rapper Timur Yunusov and entrepreneur Anton Pinsky took over the chain’s assets—leases for all 130 stores and employment contracts for 2,000 staff. The familiar mermaid emblem was replaced by an image of a girl wearing a traditional Russian kokoshnik headdress.
The recent trademark registration signals a calculated move by Starbucks to protect its brand and intellectual property rights within the Russian market.
This development follows a trend seen earlier this year when French luxury brand Louis Vuitton registered multiple trademarks in Russia. Other major corporations including Hyundai, IKEA, Christian Dior, Gucci, and Coca-Cola have also filed to register or renew trademarks in the country despite their exits.
Since 2022, numerous American, European, and Asian firms severed ties with Moscow, citing Russia’s military operations in Ukraine and the resulting Western sanctions as driving factors. The departure of these foreign brands has led to a market shift favoring domestic and Chinese companies, complicating any potential re-entry for Western firms.
Kremlin investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev estimated in April that U.S. companies alone suffered losses totaling around $300 billion due to their withdrawal from Russia.
President Vladimir Putin has since directed the government to prepare for the return of foreign businesses, emphasizing that “the interests of Russian companies must be safeguarded.”
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
