Starbucks opens in Italy, What Does This Means to the Brand?

Starbucks has come full circle….More than three decades ago, during a trip to Milan, Howard Schultz was inspired to turn the coffeehouse chain into a space that served as a community gathering place. Now Schultz, the company’s CEO, has announced Starbucks is opening its first location in Italy, in the heart of Milan’s city center. Are Italian coffeehouses shaken by the looming arrival of this global mass market coffee chain? Actually, no, many are saying, bring it on!
Set to open in late 2018, Starbucks’ first outpost in Italy will be a Roastery, a high-end concept, where beans are roasted in-house and visitors can witness the entire coffee-making process, from green beans to the delicious finished cup. Roasters locations feature high-end drinks not found at regular Starbucks, like the Shakerato, an espresso shaken with ice and a dash of demerara syrup. The Starbucks will be housed in the historic Palazzo Delle Poste building, in Piazza Cordusio, just a three-minute walk from the core of the city’s financial district.

Do why did it take Starbucks 30 years to make it back to Italy? What does this mean to the coffee industry in Italy? Does Starbucks have a chance in the coffee capital of the world? How will they do things differently to compete? Will paper cups with your name on them fly in Italy?

I would like to offer NYC based Italian attorney Luca CM Melchionna to answer these important questions. Luca has 20 years of experience, and his firm law firm specializes in helping Italian businesses establish a branch in the US and vice versa. He has also been invited as a lecturer or appointed adjunct professor in various Italian and US law schools including the University of Rome; Scuola Superiore di Economia e Finanza, Rome; Boston University School of Law; Columbia University; St. John’s University Law School. He advises companies and start-ups, as well as individuals.

Best,
Cindy Tanenbaum
Cindy Tanenbaum PR, Inc.
Email: cindy.tanenbaum@gmail.com