Starbucks Company Profile

The first Starbucks opened in 1971, in Seattle’s historic Pike Place Market. The name, inspired by Moby Dick. Howard Schultz (Starbucks chairman, president and chief executive officer) had first walked into a Starbucks store. “He had a vision to bring the Italian coffeehouse tradition back to the United States. A place for conversation and a sense of community.” A third place between work and home. From the beginning, Starbucks set out to be a different kind of company. One that not only celebrated coffee and the rich tradition, but that also brought a feeling of connection. ("Company Information | Starbucks Coffee

The first Starbucks coffee shop opened in 1971 in Seattle Washington. The coffee shop was founded by three partners. Jerry Baldwin and Zev Siegl were teachers and Gordon Bowker was a writer. The idea to have a coffee shop came about when a close friend was selling high quality coffee beans and equipment. After a matter of time, the partners decided to purchase the product from the grower. The coffee shop was named after the Nantucket Whaleship first mate from the novel Moby-Dick.

The industry’s saturation is moderately high with a monopolistic competition structure. For new entrants, the initial investment is not significant as they can lease stores, equipment etc. at a moderate level of investment. At a localized level, small coffee shops can compete with the likes of Starbucks and Dunkin Brands because there are no switching costs for the consumers. Even though it’s a competitive industry, the possibility of new entrants to be successful in the industry is moderate. But this relatively easy entry into the market is usually countered by large incumbent brands identities like Starbucks who have achieved economies of scale by lowering cost, improved efficiency with a huge market share. There is a moderately high barrier for the new entrants as they differentiate themselves from Starbuck’s product quality, its prime real estate locations, and its store ecosystem ‘experience’. The incumbent firms like Starbucks have a larger scale and scope, yielding them a learning curve advantage and favourable access to raw material with the relationship they build with their suppliers. The expected retaliation from well-established companies for brand equity, resources, prime real estate locations and price competition are moderately high, which creates a moderate barrier to

Starbucks was founded on March 30, 1971 which was a Settle coffee bean roaster. This company was founded by three people. Their names were Jerry Baldwin who was a English teacher, Zev Siegl who was a history teacher, and Gordon Boworker who was a writer. These three guys all

Starbucks is a strong competitor in the service sector and a leader in the gourmet coffee industry. With a continued growth rate in store openings and maintaining successful profitability of its operations, Starbucks has demonstrated its ability to sustain a reliable and steady growth. Starbucks’ ability to contend with the vulnerability to current financial threats such as economic recession, higher interest rates, and global competition, is constantly proven by its incomparable brand image, its continual product innovations, and its exceptional customer service. This

Starbucks is the one of the fastest growing companies in the US and in the world that started its business in 1971 as a small shop located in Seattle, Washington, by Jerry Baldwin, Gordon Bowker and Zev Siegl. The shop was selling mostly roasted Arabica coffee beans until they sold the company to employee Haward Schlutz in 1987. Since that day, Starbucks is able to stablish its own name and reputation in the market. Starbucks has now become a good place for the customers to relax and enjoy quality time beside home and work.

Certain threats may arise that Starbucks needs to be aware of. Starbucks has many competitors and copycats. Other coffee retailers may also offer customers quality products but with lower prices. Competitive benchmarking, discussed on page 193, is a good way to stay ahead of the competition. According to Parnell, “Often, strategic control standards are based on competitive benchmarking-the process of measuring a firm’s performance

cup of coffee would head to their local coffee houses or their corner cafes in

Starbucks Corporation (Starbucks) is a specialty coffee retailer of hot and cold beverages, coffee-related accessories, complementary food items, teas, and other non-food related products. Starbucks has retail stores in 39 countries and about 146,000 employees. The company operates primarily in the United States (U.S.) with headquarters in Seattle, Washington (Starbucks, 2007).

Starbucks’ opened its first store in 1971, at Pike Place Market in Seattle, by three partners Zev Siegel, Jerry Baldwin and Gordon Bowker. Starbucks opened with the intent of being a gourmet coffee bean retailer and coffee equipment seller. The Starbucks name and logo came from two influences; a character named Starbuck in the classic book, Moby Dick, and a mining camp on the base of Mt. Rainier called Starbo. These two influences were combined to create Starbucks.

Barriers to entry for coffee retailers are low, hence increasing the threat of new entrants. Equipment, facilities, furniture, etc. can be leased by new coffee retailers, thus, reducing initial capital expenditure and upfront investment. Since the industry is high fragmented at the bottom levels, new players can create and compete in niche areas within the market. However, small players may not be able to compete with the major players in the industry who have successfully achieved economies of scale and high degree of operational efficiency. Furthermore, consumers may have a strong association and preference for a brand such as Starbucks and may be reluctant to switch to another new brand of coffee.

Starbucks Corporation (SBUX) was founded in 1971, where the first Starbucks stored opened on March 30th, 1971. Starbucks was founded by Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegel, and Gordon Bowker while attending University of San Francisco. After entrepreneur Alfred Peet taught them his style of roasting beans the three students were inspired and wanted to sell high-quality coffee beans and equipment by Peet. At first they were going to name the company Pequod, some co-founders did not like it then after they named after the chef on the Pequod “Starbucks”.

Starbucks is undoubtedly dominating the coffee industry, however that does not exclude the entry of new rivals. For example, McDonald’s, Burger

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

Starbucks was created in 1971 when Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegel, and Gordon Bowher decided to open the first store in Seattle. The trio opened the first store in Pikes Place, which was a popular market area in Seattle. In the beginning the customers were encouraged to learn how to grind beans and make their own freshly brewed coffee at home. At that time, the store did not offer fresh-brewed coffee sold by the cup like today, they sold beans and coffee accessories. Starbucks’ name was actually adopted from the name of the first mate in Moby Dick. Currently, the company is considered the leader in the coffee retail business and widely known for its quality coffee and stylish atmosphere. The organization presently employs nearly 200,000 employees in over 17,000 Starbucks branded cafes (Starbucks.com).