Alshaya Group announced it has acquired the rights to operate Starbucks stores in Greece and Cyprus, taking over as sole owner and operator from the Marinopoulos family, it said, adding that franchise CEO Yiannis Marinopoulos will return to the family business.
The Starbucks chain began operations in Greece and on Cyprus in 2002, and now has 30 stores in Greece and 18 on Cyprus, employing nearly 500 staff in total.
Alshaya Group is among the largest and longest-standing licensed partners of Starbucks globally. It opened the first store in Kuwait in 1999 and currently operates over 2,000 stores in 13 countries, serving over 1 million customers daily.
Starbucks President in Alshaya Group Saleh Alshaya, and Starbucks EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) President Duncan Moir issued welcoming statements; Moir also thanked Marinopoulos Group for their long-term and successful cooperation in the last 24 years.
Marinopoulos, CEO of the eponymous company, thanked all partners and customers for their consistent support since 2002, and the Starbucks Group for its confidence in the Greek family for over two decades.
The new head of Starbucks in Greece & Cyprus is business manager Jacqueline Delpippo of Alshaya Group, who will focus on the transition and on further upgrading customer experience, along with examining opportunities for expansion.
The new operational entity will be called Alshaya Hellas SMSA in Greece and Murgab Cyprus Ltd in Cyprus.