– Reuters picNEW YORK, April 6 ― Starbucks Corp is opening a sprawling new Roastery-branded store in New York’s Meatpacking District, part of a push to bolster growth with larger locations that offer experiences to customers. The company says that the Roastery is “coffee as theater”, with a focus on Starbucks’ small-batch brewing process.
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As Schultz states, “In New York, we want to take elements from what we originally created and build something even bigger and bolder, celebrating coffee and craft in a completely unique and differentiated way”. The Seattle roastery covers about 15,000 square feet; it opened in 2014.
Starbucks has compared the original Roastery in Seattle to the fictional Willy Wonka chocolate factory.
Starbucks (SBUX – Get Report) is bringing its coffee shop concept on steroids to New York City.
Execs with Starbucks said another USA site and locations in Asia are being considered for a third roastery.
Other than the roastery store concept, Starbucks has experimented with other formats in the USA like drive-thru stores. One of the stores that sells Reserve coffees is located nearby, at 525 West 26th Street in Chelsea. The massive site at 61 Ninth Avenue is expected to be opened in 2018.
“Our Seattle Roastery experience created something that had never been done before, transforming a retail environment into something far beyond just a coffeeshop and into the single best retail experience of any kind”, Howard Schultz, chairman & CEO of Starbucks, said in a prepared statement.
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The coffee chain is developing the NY store with Vornado Realty Trust and Aurora Capital.
