Back to the City

Posted by Carol Coletta on November 02, 2008

Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz told the NYT that Starbucks is "more relevant to our customers than ever before...arguing that his cafes can be a refuge from the economic storm."  Schultz said, "We are not selling a commodity cup of coffee.  We have created a  unique experience."  But the company is also acknowledging that "in its relentless expansion to around 17,000 stores, Starbucks overlooked the costs to its reputation of generic, cookie-cutter designs and of placing stores in dreary suburban strip malls."  Starbucks now plans to focus on "adding stores in urban areas."  The company also plans to "tailor new stores to specific neighborhoods," while adding community tables in some stores that "might force patrons to take a break from their laptops and talk to one another."