Why Starbucks Is Upping its Game in France

Starbucks has announced a new partnership with French high-end grocery store Monoprix.

According to a press release, the coffee company will open stores within two grocery store locations in Lyon and Paris by the end of the year. It’s the start of a licensed partnership agreement to open Starbucks stores within Monoprix stores.

“This partnership underlines our commitment to growing our business in France, with an experienced French retailer with stores in central, prime city locations,” Arjan Oudejans, vice president Branded Solutions, Starbucks EMEA, said in the release. “Monoprix is the perfect partner to bring the Starbucks experience alive in their stores.”

It makes sense for Starbucks to up its game in France. The coffee chain has a muted presence in the country, especially compared to its runaway success in many parts of the world. The Seattle-based company only had 78 stores in France as of last year. The United Kingdom, which has a comparable population, had 506 Starbucks locations.

In June, Starbucks announced a partnership with Casino Restauration, a French company that is a subsidary of Groupe Casino. Though Starbucks hasn’t disclosed how many stores it plans to open in total, Groupe Casino operates more than 10,000 stores, including 500 supermarkets and hypermarkets, across France.