New Starbucks location opens in Russia: logo and menu almost identical, but owners claim 'everything is completely different'

The owner of a rebranded Russian Starbucks said it was "completely different" from the American brand, despite the eerie similarities between their logos and menus. Insider.

Photo: IStock

Starbucks closed its 130 stores in Russia in March, and in May announced a full withdrawal from the country, following other large Western companies that left the country after the start of the war in Ukraine.

Starbucks has sold its stores to Russian businessman Anton Pinsky, rapper Timur Yunusov and Sindika. The stores were renamed Stars Coffee and opened in Moscow on 18 August.

“Starbucks left along with its formula, technology and raw materials entirely,” Yunusov told The Wall Street Journal, according to the publication’s translation. “And in its place came a completely different brand that looks like this.”

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Pinsky made similar comments to the BBC, suggesting that the brands' logos have nothing in common other than their round shape.

The Starbucks logo features a mermaid wearing a crown adorned with stars, while the Stars Coffee logo features a woman wearing a traditional Russian headdress with a star.

The Stars Coffee logo seems even closer to the older Starbucks logo, introduced in 1992, which encircled a mermaid with star-studded "Starbucks Coffee" text.

Earlier this month, Pinsky told Russian outlet Sostav that he plans to make the name of the new coffee company as close to the original as possible and is considering both Starbox and Stars.

He said the menu would still include sandwiches, salads, pastries and desserts, but with different recipes. A video published by The Journal shows the chain selling frappuccinos, iced coffees and croissants.

Pinsky said the new chain will continue Starbucks' tradition of putting customer names on coffee cups. The published photos of the newly opened cafes show handwritten text on both paper and plastic cups.

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Stars Coffee said that it took only a month to develop a new brand. Pinsky said that Stars Coffee will gradually open 130 former Starbucks cafes.

Russian McDonald'sDelicious and point” after rebranding also apparently enjoyed success when it reopened, with its CEO stating that 120 burgers were sold on opening day.

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