Time to freshen up the Starbucks brand
03.01.2007

starbucks.jpg Yesterday I swung by my neighborhood Starbucks and was really suprised to see it was getting a massive overhaul. Gone were the dark wood shelving and barista counter. They are being replace with bright (spring like) shades of green and some very modern furniture. The wood tables and counters are now lower and a lighter blonde. They have also been pushed back to allow more people to gather around the barista which solves one of the major issues with this location. This IKEA-Stark style is certainly a huge visual change to the Starbucks branded storefronts. I haven't seen any news of the new designs online anywhere yet. Speaking of Starbucks, earlier this month Howard Shultz wrote a memo which outlined his concerns for the company. One of which was the stores "sterile, cookie cutter" look. He also pointed out something that I feel really changed the Starbucks experience for me. In 1999 the chain switched to automated espresso machines rather than the italian La Marzocca machines. Now rather than a talented barista 'Pulling' shots we have a kid pushing a button. Granted it may be mostly show and tradition (and messy) but it required some finesse. I have even had a barista tell me that she didn't like coffee. ~ gasp ~ Talk about diluting the brand.


There are 3 Comments for Time to freshen up the Starbucks brand

And they're diluting it even further by launching a record label, of all things. Of course, linking Starbucks to music is nothing particularly new, but their own label?! Coupled with in-store kiosks where you can make your own CD from their library... can we say "fresh out of ideas for how to innovate/market coffee"?
from Chris over 2 years ago
La Marzoccas are great machines, I use one everyday, I manage a coffee shop in Seattle,we pull and time all our shots and we all love coffee, I had all my baristas go to training and learn about the beans, roasting and pulling a good shot.I think all places should do that.
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