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FINLAND. SSP is to open the first high street branch of Starbucks Coffee in Finland later this month, at the Stockmann Academic Bookstore in Helsinki.
Opening on 13 November, the store will have a “˜tasting table’ where customers will be able to interact with professionally trained coffee masters. Customers will also be able to purchase small packages of their favourite blends of whole beans from a “˜scoop bar’.
Starbucks Coffee Company EMEA Licensed Stores Director Arjan Oudejans said: “Starbucks is always looking for unique ways and places to connect with customers and deliver the Starbucks Experience, and by partnering with SSP, we are able to further expand our business at great locations in the Finnish market.
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“We look forward to opening the first store in a high street location in Helsinki and offering shoppers freshly brewed coffee and handcrafted beverages.”
The Stockmann Academic Bookstore in Helsinki is the flagship store of the 120 year-old chain and was recently renovated in a project to restore the original structure while preserving the historic design by Finnish architect Alvar Aalto.
The Starbucks “˜third place experience’ has been created to complement the building, incorporating design elements such as Alvar Aalto Turnip pendant lamps from 1955 and Artek 2nd Cycle Alvar Aalto furniture.
“We are thrilled to be opening at this prestigious location in Helsinki city centre,” said SSP Finland General Manager Marko Alander. “This new venture will build on our considerable success at operating Starbucks in Finland, and will help us further develop our partnership with this world-leading brand.”
