by kevin, on September 5th, 2009
Starbucks recently started testing a new design concept with two new stores in Seattle. I have to say straight out that I’m a fan of Starbucks. For so many reasons I think they are a good retailer. They have a great mix of the five key brand venues I look for – promotion, place, product, package, and experience. They are excellent brand masters and understand that every element makes a lasting impression on customers.
The new concept does not carry the Starbucks name. Instead, each store will be named in a way that reflects or is relevant to the neighborhood it serves. The first new store to open is called 15th Ave Coffee & Tea – because, of course, it’s located at 328 15th Avenue. Although this may seem a bit contrived or cliche, but I think it’s a serious attempt to develop a new approach that is not so corporate. One of the primary criticisms that can be made about most of the chain’s 15,000 stores is that they all seem the same. Which was the point. The company intended that the brand be recognizable no matter where a customer encounters a store. I’ve been to the Starbucks design center. They go to great pains to make sure any design decision can be replicated through thousands of stores. There is a small army of project managers whose principle task is to match materials in stores throughout the world. Materials available in the U.S. are totally different than what’s available in Asia, Europe, Australia, etc. When looking at sustainable material selections, their biggest fear is their ability to secure a material in the quantity they will need, at a price they can afford, at the time they need it to open hundreds of stores simultaneously. It’s quite a dilemma.
A key element of the new concept is it’s connection to community, which is why I think the naming convention works and is authentic. Materials will be sources from local salvage, will be re-purposed in novel ways, and used to create elements such as lamps, tables, counters, and more that are typically mass produced in a standard Starbucks. Local artists will also play a major role. In typical stores, wall art is designed internally, but mass produced so that the graphic language in all stores are similar. The new concept will have totally unique wall art. Whole Foods Market has been doing for quite some time, but is dependent on regional implementation. Some stores are better than others, but it’s far from consistent. Check out a video at the Starbucks web site for the local artist story – it’s the second video of seven.
If these photos are an indication of where Starbucks plans to go, I applaud the hand crafted and repurposed. Regardless of what the law says, corporations are nothing like real people. No matter how hard they try, corporations can never have a personal relationship with customers. People have relationships with people. Stores that are filled with mass produced components can never shake a corporate personality. But obviously hand crafted components work as a bridge between real people. They tell stories that mass produced cannot.
The big question is how easily this approach can roll out. This is a question I hear all the time with the design that we do at thread collaborative. My hope is that Starbucks is building the infrastructure that will be needed to produce stores like this quickly. If they undertake this new concept as individual stores or one-offs, it’s hard to see how they can roll them out economically. Will they only do them as flagships in key locations? But I guess this is part of the issue they’re raising – how to be sincerely local, and authentically connected to each individual community, yet mass produce is without loosing legitimacy. Maybe it’s not possible, but I’m rooting for them.
Later this month I’ll be presenting an educational session titled The 5 P’s of Green Design at the International Retail Design Conference in Dallas TX. I’ll be using aspects of this store as a case study sample.
Follow Up: After posting this blog I found some interesting criticism of Starbucks regarding what some consider just a re-branding effort to take advantage of a movement toward localism. Some are calling it local-washing. Here are a few interesting links about the new store:
I like the new concept that Starbucks is presenting. Their products are good anyway, but the new presentation would make it more appealing to the local environment.
Thanks for the comment. I think it’s a very interesting attempt. I’ve heard representatives from Starbucks present their green initiatives that seem to focus on LEED certification. This is the first store I’ve seen that takes the design farther. Check out the image of the menu, not only will they offer Starbucks products, but will also do local beer and wine. Let’s see what happens.
I appreciate the direction that Starbucks is attempting to go in I applaud their use of sustainable building materials but, seriously…do we really need more of their stores hawking overpriced coffee in this economy? I’d be far more impressed if they instead channeled their green efforts into revamping their entire packaging line…no more foil/mylar bags for their coffee would be a great start. There is so much waste that occurs on a daily basis in operations like Starbucks and they’d be sending a very powerful message to corporations across the world by fundamentally changing the composition of the containers and other accoutrements of their daily biz over to truly eco-friendly versions. Even mandatory recycling right on sight (for all customers to see and participate in) would be a step in the right direction).
Hi Elizah,
You make some great points. I too would be much happier if they figured out a way to recycle their cups and sleeves. I don’t have the figures, but I image the amount of waste created by those is incredible. Have you ever seen the coffee shop Eni Ani in NYC done by Lewis.Tsurumanki.Lewis? It’s an interesting look at using waste material related to coffee as raw building material. I too would like to see reductions and changes in packaging that are more environmentally favorable. From what I’ve read, they and other manufacturers are working to find a way to keep the product fresh without having to sell it in something composed of a monstrous hybrid. At the very least they could team up with a company like Terracycle to start a return program that repurposes old bags to some other useful product. However, I think it’s inevitable that chains like Starbucks will continue to build new stores (it’s in their DNA), so better that they build more responsibly. Thanks, KO
Here’s some additional follow up:
In an article published on GreenBiz.com, there appears to be movement by Starbucks to figure out what to do with their cups. They’ve started a pilot program at seven stores in NYC to recycle cups. According to the article, “three billion Starbucks coffee cups end up in landfills every year, in large part because they can’t be composted or recycled in most communities because of a thin polyethylene plastic coating that prevents liquid leakage.”
The unfortunate news in the article is that even if they work out a plan, it may not go into full effect until 2012. Why would it take so long?
Here’s a link to the article – http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/09/15/pilot-program-test-recyclability-starbucks-coffee-cups
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[...] be in. To be fair, Starbucks is experimenting with new locally focused concepts – discussed here. Of course, consistent brand message and experience is absolutely vital to retailers operating so [...]