Russia's version of Starbucks reopens with new name and logo

A restaurateur and rapper duo unveiled Stars Coffee on Thursday, reopening the chain of coffee shops in Russia formerly owned by Starbucks, the latest major company rebranding after a months-long Western corporate exodus from the country.

At a packed launch in central Moscow, rapper Timati presented the new brand, whose logo features an image of a woman with a star above her head, alongside co-owner and restaurateur Anton Pinskiy, before shops start opening on Friday.

Banned from using the Starbucks logo, Timati said they had sought to find some continuity, namely the circular shape and "female gender," which he said contrasted nicely with the brown, cigar-like "masculine color" in the new logo, CNN reports.

"People's perceptions may be different," said Pinskiy. "But if you compare, then apart from the circle, you won't find anything in common."

Starbucks declined to comment on the similarity of the logo and name, but referred to an earlier statement in which it said the company had made the decision to exit and no longer had a brand presence in the Russian market.

Since Starbucks had its own resource and production base, Timati said the duo had to find new suppliers, but they had encountered no problems.

Stars Coffee imports beans from Latin America and Africa, Pinskiy said, with suppliers of other items based in Russia.

"We just found other suppliers, found the right roasters, and because the baristas mixed it all correctly, we have a product that we think will be competitive," he said.

Seattle-based Starbucks, which helped popularize takeaway coffee in a traditionally tea-loving society, said it would exit Russia after nearly 15 years in late May.

Starbucks had 130 stores in Russia, operated by its licensee Alshaya Group, with nearly 2,000 employees in the country. Pinskiy said shops would gradually reopen throughout August and September.