Starbucks to open in Kesko stores in Finland
Starbucks and Kesko Food have entered into a new licensing agreement to open Starbucks stores within K-stores throughout Finland.
The first store will open in K-citymarket Sello in Espoo later this year with further locations planned for key business areas, including outside greater Helsinki.
Arjan Oudejans, vice president of branded solutions at Starbucks EMEA, said: “People in Finland drink more coffee on average than almost any other country globally, so this is a great opportunity for us to bring our premium coffee to Finnish coffee fans.
“High quality products and service, and a focus on customer connection and ethical business practices, are shared values for both companies. Furthermore Starbucks wants to be where our customers are, this makes Kesko a great partner in the Finnish grocery channel.”
The move is part of Starbucks’ plans to reach more customers across Europe. Having opened its first store in Finland at Helsinki Airport in 2012, Starbucks now has nearly 2,200 locations across its Europe, Middle East and Africa region.
Kesko has around 2,000 stores in the Nordics and Baltic regions, Russia and Belarus.