Starbucks Case Analysis

This report is on the Starbucks coffee shop company. Starbucks was founded around 45 years ago in 1971. Its first store was located at 2000 Western Avenue in Seattle, Washington until 1976, when it moved its operations to Pike Place Market, Elliott Bay, Seattle, Washington, U.S. where they began selling espresso coffee in 1986. The three founders Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl and Gordon Bowker were former students of the University of San Francisco. Their plan was to sell high quality coffee beans and roasting equipment. They did not know at the onset the company would become so successful.

Starbucks main competitors are quick-service restaurant and specialty coffee shops. They are serving the same or similar core product as what Starbucks providing to their customer.

starbucks Corp., an international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington, has expanded rapidly since its opening in 1971. These outrageous success was due to its well-developed strategy vision which lay out the company's strategic course in developing and strengthening its business. Starbucks is a global corporation that sells authentic coffee in 30 countries, reporting revenues of nearly $5.1 billion in 2006. The main goal of Starbucks is to embrace diversity by applying the highest standards of excellence. Starbucks strives to perfect the relationship with the working class by making the service as fast as possible because they believe that every customer has their own personal rate. One

2. When Starbucks was rapidly expanding its store locations in 2006–2009 it made specific changes in order to facilitate that growth. What did Starbucks gain—and give up—as a result of each change?

1. Where did the original idea for the Starbucks format come from? What lesson for international business can be drawn from this?

The company many sales drink, Food and Nutrition. Drink comprises of the finest coffee from best beans procured all around the world and various other products. They also serve food which is good from the customer’s nutrition point of view. They also serve various beverages cold drink, brewed coffee etc. They not only serve food with nutritional value but also salads, sandwiches etc.

I've chosen the Starbucks Corporation on which to do my case assignment for the session. I first became interested in Starbucks while working on a paper for a previous marketing class. I became intrigued at the entrepreneurial spirit that such a large corporation had managed to maintain throughout its massive expansion. Starbucks corporation, unlike many of its now-defunct rivals, has done an outstanding job since its meager beginnings in 1970 with the execution of its strategic process; resulting in it currently owning 40% of the specialty coffee market and boosting annual sales exceeding $7 billion according to Burt Helm. Historic successes and recent turmoil within the company, including a near 40% decline in 2007 in profits (Sullivan

Starbucks has always taken exceptional care in keeping its brand value.  In fact, Starbucks prides itself in its brand, particularly the power it has to keep its customer base strong. Before analyzing this loyal customer base it is best to consider the particular characteristics of the brand that has led to Starbucks having such devoted patrons.

Starbucks faces competition from variety of small-scale specialty coffee chains, such as Caribou Coffee, Peet’s Coffee and Tea, Dunkin Donuts, and thousands of independent specialty coffee shops. Each of them applies different strategies to differentiate itself from Starbucks; some of them deliver highly personalized service.

* Start serving fresh fruits and berries as well as salads (maybe by the cup/ Fruit salads)

In general the coffeehouse industry in the United States was experiencing an increase in coffee consumption per capita due to the “Starbucks effect”. At this time Starbucks was operating approximately 20,000 stores in the United States and was living a fast expansion strategy worldwide.

Starbucks have been able to create a sense of brand loyalty with their loyal customers. Despite their inflated prices, they have established a monopolistically competitive market structure because they found out how to benefit their customer, leverage the company widely to many products and markets, and create ideas that are different from competitors. Starbucks’ logo, quality, and various trademarks differentiate their brand from their competitors. In order to focus on their primary competencies by differentiating themselves has made Starbucks become drastically succeed. Product differentiation offers differentiators such as premium product mix, locations, coffee beverages reputation and supreme customer service that promote to establish a premium valued brand. Starbucks also has an astute strategy of strategic alliance and

Additionally, promotion can be considered as a marketing strategy which helps the increase in sales (Shimp 1997:42). Starbucks attempted to establish a national monopoly without having to use advertising. They relied on organizing events and promoting their brand – by using mugs and T-shirts on which they printed artworks that were a reflection of a city’s personality.

Starbuck’s strategy focused on three components; high-quality coffee, intimate service, and ambient atmosphere. Starbucks worked closely with growers in Africa, South and Central America, and Asia-Pacific regions to insure the quality of its product. Starbucks called all employees' "partners" and worked hard to train them with the skills necessary to best serve the customer. The atmosphere at Starbucks was crafted after the European-style espresso bar. The company goal was to create ambience through the Starbucks "experience" and by making the area comfortable, yet upscale.

In terms of competition and the forces, which could limit the success of Starbucks it is important they stay ahead or even with other companies concerning innovative products. Many more micro companies are coming up with new products with a similar quality and a lower price/cost. It is important that Starbucks continues to search for innovative products to continually satisfy their customers. At the same time “rivalry” amongst Starbucks and smaller providers of coffee will continue to increase as the demand for coffee continues. The buyers bargaining power is significant as they can determine the cost, type of product, quantity and ultimately