Starbucks Pilot Stores Lack Starbucks Moniker, Sell Beer and Wine – MediaBuyerPlanner

Starbucks is trying a whole new approach to continue the reign as 3rd place KING. They would not be investing money, time, or effort into creating this space unless it was to create and maintain customers. How can libraries benefit from this? Look at the local coffee shops around you what is you like about those spaces?

Here are my top three as I sit is a local cafe typing this:

Food/ Coffee

Community

Vibe

What are yours?

Can those be translated what a library provides?

Starbucks Pilot Stores Lack Starbucks Moniker, Sell Beer and Wine

Published on July 16, 2009 | Email this article

Coffee retailer Starbucks, which plans to close at least 800 U.S. stores this year, is remodeling three stores in the Seattle, WA market to test a new local coffeehouse store format. Product offerings will include alcohol.

According to the Seattle Times, next week Starbucks will open the first pilot store, called 15th Avenue Coffee and Tea, writes Retailer Daily.

The new stores will be named after the neighborhoods where they are located, rather than carry the Starbucks banner. All products sold will also be rebranded to match the store’s name. Product assortment will be expanded to include beer and wine and espresso will be brewed manually, rather than from an automated machine as at traditional Starbucks locations. The new stores will also feature community events such as poetry readings.

In light of fiscal troubles that have continued since Starbucks posted its first-ever financial loss in August 2008, Starbucks has launched a myriad of new products and strategies. This year, Starbucks has removed high-fructose corn syrup and artificial ingredients from its baked goods, unveiled a new breakfast pairings menu that offers special discounts on combination orders of coffee and breakfast food items, entered the instant coffee market and expanded its line of premium ice cream consumer products.

In March, 2009, Starbucks released a public long-term growth strategy that included meeting customer needs for quality and value as key goals.

Fast food retailer McDonald’s, which has been making a major push into the coffee market in the past year, is expanding its in-store McCafe specialty coffee shops in both North America and Europe. According to (pdf) the most recent Brand Keys Customer Loyalty Engagement Index, Starbucks is the third-most popular coffee chain in the U.S., trailing McDonald’s and vertical leader Dunkin’ Donuts. Dunkin’ Donuts is not experimenting with new store formats but is aggressively expanding into new markets via franchising.

Starbucks Pilot Stores Lack Starbucks Moniker, Sell Beer and Wine – MediaBuyerPlanner