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Starbucks Corporation
- Location & Contact Information
- Address, Directions, & Map:
- Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- GPS Coordinates
- Telephone Numbers
- Official Website: [hhttp://www.starbucks.com/]
- Address, Directions, & Map:
- Overview & Photographs
The original Starbucks was opened in Pike Place Market in Seattle, Washington, in 1971 by three partners: English teacher Jerry Baldwin, history teacher Zev Siegel, and writer Gordon Bowker. The three were inspired by Alfred Peet, whom they knew personally, to open their first store in Pike Place Market to sell high-quality coffee beans and equipment. The original Starbucks location was at 2000 Western Avenue from 1971-1976. That store then moved to 1912 Pike Place; it is still open. During their first year of operation, they purchased green coffee beans from Peet's, then began buying directly from growers. [1]
Entrepreneur Howard Schultz joined the company in 1983, and, after a trip to Milan, Italy, advised that the company sell coffee and Espresso drinks as well as beans. The owners rejected this idea, believing that getting into the beverage business would distract the company from its primary focus. To them, coffee was something to be prepared in the home. Certain that there was much money to be made selling drinks to on-the-go Americans, Schultz started the Il Giornale coffee bar chain in 1985. [1]
In 1984, the original owners of Starbucks, led by Baldwin, took the opportunity to purchase Peet's (Baldwin still works there today). In 1987, they sold the Starbucks chain to Schultz's Il Giornale, which rebranded the Il Giornale outlets as Starbucks and quickly began to expand. Starbucks opened its first locations outside Seattle at Waterfront Station in Vancouver, British Columbia, and Chicago, Illinois, that same year. At the time of its initial public offering on the stock market in 1992, Starbucks had grown to 165 outlets. [1]
The first Starbucks location outside of North America opened in Tokyo in 1996. Starbucks entered the U.K. market in 1998 with the acquisition of the then 60-outlet, UK-based Seattle Coffee Company, re-branding all its stores as Starbucks. By November 2005, London had more outlets than Manhattan, a sign of Starbucks becoming an international brand. [1]
In 1999, Starbucks experimented with eateries in the San Francisco Bay area through a restaurant chain called Circadia. These restaurants were soon "outed" as Starbucks establishments and converted to Starbucks cafes. [1]
In April 2003, Starbucks completed the purchase of Seattle's Best Coffee and Torrefazione Italia from AFC Enterprises, bringing the total number of Starbucks-operated locations worldwide to more than 6,400. On September 14, 2006, rival Diedrich Coffee announced that it would sell most of its company-owned retail stores to Starbucks. This sale includes the company-owned locations of the Oregon-based Coffee People chain. Starbucks has converted the Diedrich Coffee and Coffee People locations to Starbucks as of summer 2007, although the Portland airport Coffee People locations were excluded from the sale. [1]
Starbucks' chairman, Howard Schultz, has talked about making sure growth does not dilute the company's culture and the common goal of the company's leadership to act like a small company. [1]
In January 2008, Chairman Howard Schultz resumed his roles as President and Chief Executive Officer after an eight year hiatus, and replaced Jim Donald, who took those posts in 2005 but decided to leave the company in late 2007. Schultz's principal challenge is to restore what he calls the "distinctive Starbucks experience" in the face of rapid expansion. Analysts believe that Schultz must determine how to contend with higher materials prices and enhanced competition from lower-price fast food chains, including McDonald's and Dunkin' Donuts. On January 31, 2008, Schultz announced that Starbucks would discontinue its warm breakfast sandwich products, originally scheduled to launch nationwide in 2008, in order to refocus the brand on all things coffee. [1]
As Starbucks often tests new products as part of its ongoing innovation and transformation, Starbucks started testing selling an 8 oz "short" brewed coffee for $1 and giving free refills on all brewed coffee. This test was limited to the greater Seattle market, with no plans for expansion to national markets. Per an internal email this program was cancelled in late March 2008. [1]
In March 2008, Schultz made several announcements to Starbucks shareholders. Shultz introduced Starbucks' "state of the art espresso system", the Thermoplan AG manufactured Mastrena, which will replace the Verismo 801. Starbucks also announced that the company hopes to enter the energy drink market and introduce a customer reward program. Pre-ground beans will also no longer be used, in order that the additional grinding of all whole bean coffee will "bring aroma, romance and theater" to American stores. The company also announced the recent acquisition of The Coffee Equipment Company, the manufacturer of the Clover Brewing System. They are currently test marketing this unique "fresh-pressed" coffee system at six Starbucks locations, three in Seattle, and three in Boston. [1]
In May 2008, a rewards program was initiated for registered users of the Starbucks Card. Previously simply a gift card, the Starbucks Card has undergone a transition into a rewards card, similar to cards offered by other retail outlets. Perks and rewards offered to registered users are 2 hours of free Wi-Fi Internet service per day, free refills of brewed coffee, a free tall beverage with the purchase of 1 lb. of whole bean coffee, as well as free milk (e.g. soy) and syrup drink modifiers. This is a new and aggressive approach by Starbucks to create and strengthen customer loyalty.
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