In an effort to get more people to walk through the doors- Starbucks offered five new breakfast items this Wednesday.
Oatmeal
Chewy fruit and nut bar
Apple bran muffin
Berry Stella (multigrain pastry)
Protein Plate (hard-boiled egg, whole wheat bagel, peanut butter, cheese and fruit)
All of these items are touted as having no artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners or corn syrup.
I am just not sure if these items will make we want to visit Starbucks more, what about you?
According to the Associated Press:
Starbucks Corp. announced Tuesday it will close 600 company-operated stores in the next year as the faltering U.S. economy hastened the pain caused by the company’s own rapid expansion.
About 12,000 workers, or 7 percent of Starbucks’ global work force, will be affected by the closings, which are expected to take place between late July and the middle of 2009, spokeswoman Valerie O’Neil said.
The company had previously planned to shut 100 stores. The 500 more that will be closed had been on an internal watch list for some time. They were not profitable, not expected to be profitable in the foreseeable future, and the “vast majority” had been opened near an existing company-operated Starbucks.
Do you think these closures will increase the wait time at the nearby stores and cause people to walk away?
The CEO of Starbucks, Howard Schultz revealed a laundry list of “saviors” for the struggling coffee giant.
During the annual meeting on Wednesday Howard made it clear that he was not going to go down without a fight.
Here are his suggestions for breathing life into the company:
New espresso machines- They will put in high-tech espresso machines in all U.S. stores. This shorter and faster machine will make the customer experience better.
New coffee ground fresh- The coffee used to make the daily drip coffee will come from fresh ground beans.
Networking site- In an attempt to pull the younger crowd into the doors, they will launch mystarbucksidea.com. This site will be used to get ideas and chat with customers.
Loyalty cards- The Starbucks Rewards Program will initially offer free extras to customers. I am not sure what happens after the “free period”
French-press coffee- A special French press machine will offer individual cups of brew
Green connection- They will do more with Conservation International, including making a financial commitment.
Giving the tough economic situation, do you think the “saviors” will save the coffee giant? Or should they just drop the price of their products?
transactions per store falling for the first time ever during the company’s fourth quarter, which ended Sept. 30.
In retaking the reins of Starbucks Corp., Howard Schultz will have to fix a coffee empire that he says has become stifled by bureaucracy and has lost the courage that helped it change how Americans get their coffee.
Starbucks ousted CEO Jim Donald yesterday and said that, effective immediately, Mr. Schultz, the chairman, will take on the additional role.
Once one of the hottest growth stocks, Starbucks shares were at $18.38 at 4 p.m. yesterday, down 48% from the $35.14 price a year ago. After the news, announced after the close of the market, shares of Starbucks rose $1.65, or 9%, to $20.03.
What do you think has contributed to Starbucks decline?
A. The price of their products
B. The store experience
C. Front line employees
D. Something else
Michael D. Brown, MBA 