Starbucks and Kesko Partner in Finland

KESKO PRESS RELEASE 21.04.2015 AT 09.00 1(2)

Starbucks and Kesko Partner in Finland

Agreement to open Starbucks stores at grocery locations owned by the Finnish retailer.

Starbucks Coffee Company 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.

Jorma Rauhala, Senior Vice President, Kesko's grocery trade division adds, "We are very excited about the partnership agreement now signed with Starbucks. We aim to offer K-store customers a new kind of experience by providing them with an opportunity to spend some high quality time in a coffee house when they do their groceries, Starbucks is the best solution for this. The core of Starbucks operations lies in delivering a superior customer experience. This is also of key importance for K-stores and the common factor that provides a strong connection between Starbucks and Kesko."

Arjan Oudejans, vice president, 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. We're delighted to partner with Kesko to expand our presence in Finland. 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."

This announcement demonstrates Starbucks commitment to reach more customers across Europe. Starbucks opened its first store in Finland at Helsinki Airport in 2012; there are now nearly 2,200 Starbucks locations across the Europe, Middle East, and Africa region. Kesko is Finland's leading retailer and key operators in the grocery channel, with about 2,000 stores in the Nordics and Baltic regions, Russia and Belarus. The recruitment of employees for the new store will begin in April.

For more information please contact:
Jorma Rauhala, Senior Vice President, Kesko's grocery trade division, tel. +358 10 5322 211, jorma.rauhala@kesko.fi
Mika Rautiainen, Vice President, marketing and concept services, tel. +358 10 5322 090,  mika.rautiainen@kesko.fi

For Starbucks media enquiries please contact: EMEACommunications@starbucks.com 

About Kesko

K-food retailers, with whom Kesko grocery trade applies the chain business model, are responsible for customer satisfaction at more than 900 K-food stores. K-food store chains are K-citymarket, K-supermarket, K-market and K-extra. K-food stores are the most responsible in the world in their sector. Their strengths also include superior fresh food departments, competent service, the widest selections, Finnish products and the Pirkka brand. K-food stores provide both high quality and favourable prices.

About Starbucks

Since 1971, Starbucks Corporation 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 Starbucks.com.