Has the American chain Starbucks really opened a café in Algeria?

Even if the coffee shop opened in Oran looks in every way like a real Starbucks, it is indeed a counterfeit.

“Finally Starbucks in Oran!” enthuses an Algerian Internet user in a TikTok video that has had a million and a half views. In this sequence, the TikToker Oumnia-Online takes his approximately 48,000 subscribers for a virtual guided tour of this new establishment located in Oran (Algeria). “We went inside, it’s the real Starbucks franchise”, he says. The logo with the double-tailed mermaid, the green aprons, the customers’ first names on the drinks, everything is done to suggest that this is indeed an American brand store. “The decoration is simple, in line with international Starbucks standards”notes the videographer.

TikTok ignites for a Starbucks café opened in Algeria pic.twitter.com/3UTMHv0Pm2

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The address is well referenced under the name “STARBUCKS ORAN” by Google Maps, in the Hai Seddikia district of Oran, a port city in north-west Algeria. However, everything is false. Contacted by the BBC, the American multinational denied having opened a franchise in Algeria. “Starbucks has not opened a location in this location”confirmed the channel in response to an Internet user on the X platform (formerly Twitter). The 2022 tax report (PDF) of the company clearly mentions the existence of 35,711 branches, spread across 86 countries, including Morocco. However, the search engine on the official Starbucks website does not return any results for Algeria. The Oran boutique located on avenue Seghier Benali is therefore a counterfeit.