Starbucks Rebrands London Shop
Starbucks opened its first outlet in the UK to showcase a new design in the British capital today.
Designed by the company’s own in-house creative team, the new image will offer branding and look specifically tailored to each coffee shop, with the subsequent aim of transforming each Starbucks in the UK into a unique retail outlet.
According to a statement released earlier by the coffee retailer, the design team got inspired by an urban loft lifestyle and has promised that the coffee shops will have contemporary and brightly lit atmosphere which will mirror the character of the neighbourhood.
Starbucks management feels that it’s it duty to present itself as environmentally and a socially responsible company through the new image. The retailer said that this new iconic London outlet features recycled wood panelling, Welsh oak salvaged from a 1987 storm as well as picture frames rescued from a Victorian era brewery.
The redesigned London shop offers patrons a bar area that is expected to promote conversations between visitors and employees.
Tim Pfeiffer, global design senior vice-president at Starbucks, has called the Conduit Street shop an important leap forward in coffee-shop design.
Starbucks’ original 37-year-old logo from its first outlet in Seattle will adorn the façade of the shop. The company will gradually redesign shops in the UK and around the world with this new interior concept as new stores are launched or come up for renovation.
The first Starbucks was launched in Seattle, Washington, in 1971 by writer Gordon Bowker, English teacher Jerry Baldwin, history teacher Zev Siegel. The three entrepreneurs got their inspiration from businessman Alfred Peet to provide top quality coffee beans and equipment, a market totally untapped at the time in the US.
Howard Schultz joined the team in 1982, and after a trip to Italy advised his partners they should also offer coffee and espresso drinks. The owners initially rejected this proposal, and in 1985, Schultz launched the Il Giornale coffee bar chain.
Today, Starbucks is the world’s largest chain of coffee shops,[2]with 16,120 outlets in 49 countries, including 11,000 in America, followed by 1,000 in Canada and in excess of 800 shops in Japan.[3]