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Starbucks vs Tim Hortons

Good Essays

A Comparison of Starbucks and Tim Hortons

Starbucks and Tim Horton’s are two companies that specialize in the food and coffee service industries. Information about each company, a comparison of how each markets their brand and their differing distribution methods will be provided.
Starbucks is a “premier roaster, marketer and retailer of specialty coffee” (Marketline 2012). This company is globally recognized because of their vast amount of stores, consisting of more than 17,000 retail stores in over 55 countries. Most retail stores are in highly populated areas, like “downtown and suburban centers, office buildings, university campuses and in select rural and off-highway locations” (Marketline 2012).
Starbucks sells other products …show more content…

In comparing both Starbucks and Tim Hortons regarding distribution, Starbucks definitely has more of a wide range of distributors and concentrates mainly on coffee and fresh food distribution. Tim Hortons concentrates on their beverages as well as bread, dry foods and pastries distribution as well. So in this sense, they differ a bit in what they distribute and how, as Starbucks uses a lot of licenses and partnerships while Tim Hortons relies on third party distributors and warehouses. Marketing is another key aspect that both Starbucks and Tim Hortons do differently for their company. Starbucks has intensely used technology applications such as for the iphone, in which a customer can use their mobile phone to make their purchases and it is also connected to the Loyalty Card that Starbucks has (Baker 2012). Starbucks also uses Facebook and online shopping to market their products. For example, in regards to social media, that area is part of the Marketing team in the UK and Ireland. They include customer care and public relations people, as well. Ian Cranna, Vice President for Marketing, stated that Starbucks believes “that customers want genuine and authentic interaction with the brands they choose to engage in online” (Lifting the lid on social… 2012). Starbucks hosted a “Frappuccino Happy Hour” and Cranna also

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