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Starbucks Furthers Expansion into the Nordics as It Announces First Retail Store in Helsinki’s Airport with Operating Partner SSP

Dépèche transmise le 22 juillet 2011 par Business Wire

Starbucks Furthers Expansion into the Nordics as It Announces First Retail Store in Helsinki’s Airport with Operating Partner SSP

HELSINKI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Starbucks Coffee Company (NASDAQ: SBUX), and SSP, the leading operator of food and beverage brands in travel locations worldwide, today announced that they will expand Starbucks presence into Finland opening the first Starbucks store at Helsinki Airport early 2012. Last month Starbucks and SSP announced plans to open a store in Gardermoen Airport in Oslo, Norway also in early 2012. With today’s announcement, Starbucks will have a full presence across the Nordic markets.

“This expansion is consistent with our growth strategy to further develop our existing retail business in the travel channel with skilled and experienced partners like SSP.”

SSP will operate two Starbucks stores at Helsinki Airport. One will be located in the arrivals hall where it will be accessible to passengers and visitors from the city. The other will be located past security for passengers boarding flights.

Commenting on the new openings, SSP’s CEO Andrew Lynch said, “Since we opened the first Starbucks store in Sweden, it has consistently performed above expectations. We’re delighted to now be building on this achievement with the opening of these new stores to bring the Starbucks Experience to customers in Finland and Norway.”

Starbucks and SSP opened its first store in Sweden in 2010 airside at Arlanda Airport. It will also be opening the first Starbucks accessible to non-travelling customers at Gothenberg and Malmo railway stations. All the new stores will open in early 2012.

“We are looking forward to meeting our new customers in Helsinki, Gothenburg and Malmo and we are delighted to further our expansion into the Nordics,” said Rich Nelsen, president of Starbucks Europe, Middle East and Africa. “This expansion is consistent with our growth strategy to further develop our existing retail business in the travel channel with skilled and experienced partners like SSP.”

SSP entered into a strategic relationship with Starbucks in June, 2008. Since that time, the company has opened 29 stores in the UK, Spain, France, Germany, Switzerland and Sweden.

This announcement comes on the heels of a very successful launch of Starbucks^® Iced Latte, Starbucks Doubleshot^® Espresso and Milk, and Starbucks^® bottled Frappuccino^® coffee drinks in grocery and convenience stores in Denmark, Finland, and Norway. These ready-to-drink coffee beverages offer a blend of rich Starbucks^® coffee with milk and delicious flavours for customers to enjoy whenever and wherever they want an authentic Starbucks Experience.

All espresso based beverages served at Starbucks stores and used in Starbucks^® ready-to-drink beverages throughout Europe are made from 100 percent Fairtrade certified espresso. Working together, Starbucks and Fairtrade are empowering customers to make responsible, ethical decisions about the coffee they drink so they can support the farmers that produce it to earn a sustainable living. Starbucks is one of the largest purchasers of Fairtrade certified coffee in the world.

About SSP
SSP is the leading dedicated operator of food and beverage brands in travel locations, operating restaurants, bars, cafes, food courts, lounges and convenience stores in airports, train stations, motorway service stations, shopping malls, conference centres and other leisure locations. With a heritage stretching back over 60 years, today SSP has 30,000 employees, serving over a million customers every day. It has business at over 140 airports and over 250 rail stations, and operates more than 2,100 units in 30 countries around the world.

SSP operates an extensive portfolio of over 200 international, national, local and speciality brands. These include Upper Crust, Starbucks, Caffè Ritazza, Burger King, M&S Simply Food, Bonne Journée, Pizza Hut, Caviar House & Prunier, and leading Japanese noodle brand Ajisen Ramen as well as stunning bespoke concepts such as the Montreux Jazz Café in Geneva and Sydney and the Bambini Wine Room in Sydney. Its brand portfolio is tailored for each specific location, depending on variables such as passenger profile, consumer need states, location type, size and design.
www.foodtravelexperts.com

About Starbucks
Since 1971, Starbucks Coffee Company has been committed to ethically sourcing and roasting the highest quality arabica coffee in the world. Today, with stores around the globe, the company is the premier roaster and retailer of specialty coffee in the world. Through our unwavering commitment to excellence and our guiding principles, we bring the unique Starbucks Experience to life for every customer through every cup. To share in the experience, please visit us in our stores or online at www.starbucks.com