The American chain of coffee houses Starbucks has found a buyer for the Russian business. This is reported by Vedomosti, citing sources close to the company. According to preliminary information, Anton Pinsky, a restaurateur and founder of Pinskiy&Co, will become the buyer. This was also confirmed to the publication by one of the businessman's acquaintances.
Anton Pinsky, as previously discovered by The Insider, is mentioned in the Spanish criminal case along with another Russian businessman, Mikhail Danilov. Spanish investigators believe that Danilov is directly connected with two "leaders of the Podolsk crime syndicate Boris Ivanyuzhenkov and Maxim Lalakin" and invested their funds.
It was through the efforts of Danilov and Pinsky that the Novikov Isla SL company appeared in Spain, through which the Avocado Queen restaurant was opened in Ibiza. According to the Spanish Ministry of Internal Affairs, the “Podolsky” invested at least three million euros in this restaurant, after which the restaurant also received funds that raised questions from law enforcement officers. Read more about this in The Insider's investigation .
Starbucks can conclude a deal with Pinsky at the end of July, Vedomosti writes. The new owner will receive the right to lease all areas of Starbucks coffee shops with renovation, but will not be able to use the brand's technologies. The buyer of the network will have to carry out its rebranding by analogy with McDonald's (renamed to "Tasty – and that's it!"). In addition, the transaction involves the transfer of premises in the shopping center "Pushkino Park", which is owned by the company.
Starbucks entered the Russian market in 2007. By February 2022, the company had 130 coffee shops nationwide. With the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the American network suspended its work on the Russian market, and at the end of May announced its withdrawal.