31.01.2012

Starbucks to open franchisee-run stores in the UK

According to a report published on the website, independent.co.uk, Starbucks is intending to open up its first franchise stores in the UK this year. The report also reveals that Starbucks UK was already holding negotiations with potential franchisees and was hoping to have the first franchise store up and running by the end of this year.

In an interview, Kris Engskov, MD of Starbucks UK and Ireland, said that this decision would mean that stores could be opened up in smaller towns where the local knowledge of a franchisee plays a particularly important role.

Since 1971, Starbucks Coffee Company has, it says, been committed to ethically sourcing and roasting the highest quality arabica coffee in the world. Today, with stores around the globe, the company is one of the world's premier roasters and retailers of specialty coffee. (kbp)