Starbucks is planning to open 1,000 new ‘community store’ sites by 2030 as it plans to go back to its roots.
Community stores are designed to “reflect the needs of the locality” through local partnerships with local artists and suppliers, and collaborations with local non-profit organisations picked by employees.
The move is part of Starbucks’ performance overhaul strategy devised by new CEO Brian Niccol last September, named ‘Back to Starbucks’.
The strategy has four key areas to improve performance, including focusing on customer service, reigniting love for the brand, and “re-establishing Starbucks as the community coffeehouse” it was born as in 1971.
“Our stores have always been more than a place to get a drink,” Niccol said in his strategy announcement last autumn. “They’ve been a gathering space, a community center where conversations are sparked, friendships form, and everyone is greeted by a welcoming barista.”
Niccol was brought in from Chipotle to take over Starbucks amid years of declining performance, with shares losing as much as 18% value over the past five years.
“I’m making a commitment today: we’re getting back to Starbucks. We’re refocusing on what has always set Starbucks apart – a welcoming coffeehouse where people gather, and where we serve the finest coffee, handcrafted by our skilled baristas.”
The first Starbucks community stores opened in 2011 in Harlem, New York and Crenshaw, Los Angeles to “reflect the culture of the communities they serve”.
Starbucks has opened over 150 community stores across the globe since.
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