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After losing a battle over trademark rights and 10 years of delays, Starbucks (SBUX) is about to open its first Café in Russia. In September the company will open in the Mega Mall on the northern outskirts of Moscow

Consumer spending in Russia grew at a 24 percent rate last year, outpacing Europe, starting to make it a desirable place to do business. By 2009, Russian consumers are expected to spend $12.5 billion eating out.

"Russia is hugely important as a region," Carol Pucik, a Starbucks spokeswoman, said. "It's a primary market for us. It gives a lot of opportunities. It has a large population, a coffee-drinking culture."

As far as the Starbucks trademark in Russia goes, they've regained the rights after a two-year battle with a Russian lawyer who had specialized in buying up usused trademarks in the country.
 
The opening in Russia will be the 43rd country Starbucks operates in, with 14,396 stores across the world as of July 1. The company has a goal of opening 40,000 stores globally, with 20,000 of them operating outside the U.S.