Rumours circulating in last week's Croatian press have been quashed; the international coffee chain Starbucks will not be opening any time soon in Zagreb. Nor do they have any immediate plans to open anywhere in Croatia.
'Good!' will be the most likely response from most Croatians, for whom their distinct and laidback coffee culture is a cherished part of the social fabric. In 2018, Time Out Croatia questioned why there were no Starbucks in the country, prompted by the opening of Italy's first branch of the chain. Since that time, multiple media outlets have followed up on the story and last week rumours again began to float that the chain would try their hand in Croatia.
'Currently, we have no plans to open a Starbucks in Croatia,' Starbucks office for Europe, the Middle East and Africa confirmed to Croatian media outlet dnevnik.hr, who approached the company for confirmation on last week's rumours. But has Starbucks really rejected Croatia or has Croatia rejected Starbucks?
Starbucks has 30,000 stores in over 70 countries worldwide. They know what works and are clearly not stupid people. Could it be that the persistent hostile reaction to rumours of their arrival has put the chain off coming to Croatia?