The convenience store giant has entered Romania with a value-focused coffee offer retailing beverages up to 4 leu ($0.87) less than branded coffee chain market leader 5 to go
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Żabka Group opened its first five Froo stores in Bucharest this month | Photo credit: Żabka Group
Poland’s Żabka Group has launched Froo in Romania, a new convenience store, self-serve coffee and food concept styled on its Żabka Cafe offer in Poland.
The Poznań-based business opened five Froo stores in Bucharest this month and plans to scale the convenience chain to larger towns throughout the Southeast European market.
Positioning itself as new contender in Romania’s fast-growing branded coffee shop market, Froo charges 6 leu ($1.29) for regular cappuccinos, lattes or flat whites compared to 6 leu, 7 leu ($1.51) and 10 leu ($2.16) respectively at branded coffee shop market leader 5 to go.
“Romania is a significant market in Central and Eastern Europe with a consumer profile similar to Polish. The development prospects for the Romanian market made this direction a natural step in the expansion of the Żabka Group. Romanian consumers appreciate small, nearby stores where they can make impulse purchases for immediate consumption,” said Anna Grabowska, President, Żabka International.
According to Żabka Group, Żabka Cafe serves more than 20 million cups of 100% arabica, Rainforest Alliance certified coffee from its in-store self-serve coffee machines in Poland each year. The chain also offers a tiered in-store self-serve coffee subscription, offering either 15 or 30 beverages per month for PLN 49.99 ($12.42) or PLN 74.99 ($18.63), but did not say whether the service would be rolled out under its Froo brand.
Founded in 1998, Żabka Group operates one of the largest convenience store chains in Europe with more than 10,000 sites in Poland under its traditional Żabka and small-format, unmanned Żabka Nano brands.
Żabka Group also launched its first Żabka Drive drive-thru site on the outskirts of Warsaw in November 2023 and unveiled a refurbished 1,100sq ft dining area at Poznań’s Avenida Żabka shopping centre in April 2024.