Jorn Wemmenhove

Today a new Starbucks outlet is opening at Utrecht Central Station. For Dutch Starbucks fans an important day because it will be the first easy accessible Starbucks in The  Netherlands. Till now you had to go to Schiphol Airport or Nike HQ Hilversum (only for employees) to enjoy a fresh cup of Starbucks coffee.

Personally I have mixed feelings towards the coffee company from Seattle. Drinking Starbucks I remember my great first trip to New York, where drinking coffee while walking and talking on the phone seemed to be the coolest thing ever. At the other hand Starbucks is called the ‘McDonald’s of the coffee-industry’. It is an important player in the globalized world where every commercial street in the world starts to look the same.

An interesting change in (or addition to) this strategy of world domination is the new 15th Avenue E Coffee and Tea store in Seattle. It is a new concept store based on the local neighbourhood. The shop is an authentic looking local café serving coffee made by manual machines and local food. Moreover 15th Avenue E Coffee and Tea will be opened only during hours according to the lifestyle of the area and will be hosting cultural evenings promoting local musical talent. It is a strategy of un-branding since the big Starbucks logo is absent. The only link to the company is the window saying ‘inspired by Starbucks’.

Is this glocal strategy the way to go for international companies? Again those mixed feelings. Critics (see comments) say that the new store is not inspired by Starbucks, but by next door café Smiths since it looks very similar. Confronted by these opinions director of global concept design Liz Muller states that the design is based on the first Starbucks store ever on Pike Place Market in Seattle. Is Starbucks going back to its roots or is this concept a troy horse taking even more local cafes? Something to keep the eye on. The store does look great!

Source: PSFK