AmRest Coffee SRL, the operator of Starbucks cafés in Romania, ended 2025 in the red after four consecutive profitable years, amid a third straight year of slightly falling sales, according to financial data reported by business media.

Turnover was about 198.6 million lei (roughly €40 million), down ~1% from 2024. Net profit swung from about 1.2 million lei in 2024 to a loss of roughly 14 million lei in 2025 — the largest in a decade and the first since the pandemic year 2020.

The profitability curve was steep: from 20.2 million lei in 2022 to about 12 million in 2023, 1.2 million in 2024 and minus 14 million in 2025. Average headcount fell to around 620 people.

Meanwhile the network trimmed its portfolio: Bucharest units were closed, including the Hanul lui Manuc location, which the company described as part of a routine review. AmRest confirmed two recent closures while saying it is still looking for new development opportunities.

At the same time Starbucks opened its first drive-thru in Cluj-Napoca, at URBANO Shopping & Living. Mateusz Sielecki, Starbucks brand president at AmRest, said Romania remains a high-potential market for the brand.

Polish group AmRest has held the Starbucks franchise for Romania since 2015. The 2025 results point to margin pressure in a more competitive coffee market, not a pull-out from the country.

Image: a Starbucks café (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

Sources consulted: Starbucks coffees sold at a loss in Romania — NewsCenter.