Starbucks Corporation : Starbucks to Open its First Store in Norway

Norway, Oslo: February 7, 2012 - Starbucks Coffee Company  (Nasdaq: SBUX) and its licensed partner, SSP, the leading dedicated operator of food and beverage brands in travel locations worldwide, will open Norway's first  Starbucks Coffeehouse at Oslo Airport, arrivals this Thursday, February 9th.

"SSP Norway has looked forward to this day for a long time," says Morten Solberg Nilsen, Managing Director SSP Norway.  "With a spacious and comfortable seating area, the new Starbucks coffeehouse will undoubtedly be a popular place for travelers to relax while enjoying their favorite coffee.  SSP and Starbucks have a shared passion for making customers feel at home. We are thrilled that with Starbucks we can bring another world-class brand to the airport which further strengthens our position as the food travel experts, offering an unrivaled portfolio of leading brands."

The long awaited store will be located in arrivals at Oslo Airport and will be accessible to everyone going to the airport. It will offer customers the legendary Starbucks Experience, high-quality arabica coffee, and innovative products in an inviting and relaxed atmosphere.

"Starbucks is thrilled to open our first store in Norway, a country with a long and rich coffeehouse culture and a great appreciation for coffee," said Arjan Oudejans, Director of Licensed Stores, Starbucks Europe, Middle East and Africa. "We look forward to extending our long term partnership with our trusted partner SSP into Norway. This strategic relationship aligns with Starbucks strategy to open stores where customers expect them to be and meets the growing demand for high quality coffee and service in the travel channel," continued Oudejans.

Starbucks and SSP announced their strategic partnership in June, 2008 and have since opened stores in the UK, Spain, France, Germany, Switzerland and Sweden.

"Oslo Airport is Norways's principal international airport, and in the food & beverage facilities we strive to combine the best from Norway with the best from the rest of the world. As a leading international brand, Starbucks fits seamlessly into that strategy. The fact that Starbucks opens its first store in Norway at Oslo Airport gives credit to the special and innovative character of this marketplace, but most importantly we are sure that our passengers will greatly enjoy the fact that they can now have a Starbucks coffee at Oslo Airport," says Nic Nilsen, Managing Director of Oslo Airport. 

Starbucks® Ready-to-Drink Coffee
The opening of the first Starbucks retail location in Norway comes one year after the launch of its line of premium ready-to-drink beverages,  Starbucks Discoveries® Iced Lattes, and Starbucks® bottled Frappuccino®   which are available on grocery shelves and in convenience stores in Norway.

'We are astounded with the first year performance of the Starbucks® Ready-to-Drink Coffee beverages in Norway, and grateful for the warm embrace from our Norwegian customers.   It gives us great confidence in the success of Starbucks retail stores in Norway," said Oudejans.

Starbucks® Iced Latte coffee drinks were launched in February last year and per capita sales performance is the highest in Europe at almost 4 million units sold.

Short facts on Starbucks at Oslo airport
Address: Oslo Airport, 2060 Gardermoen
Seats: 75 Interior and 28 Outside (weather permitting)
Size of store:  210 m2 +  100 m2 outside in summer