e. cups and napkins. Starbucks offers office delivery service for smaller companies, which includes ready to brew packages of coffee, certain pastries, and tea. Foodservice is also an option for restaurants, hotels and resorts, universities, and a variety of other large establishments. .
A company creates a business strategy to formulate a plan as to how they are going to beat out the competition. Since Starbucks does not have a nationwide competitor, it is safe to say that they have succeeded. The company accomplished this by a selective rollout as opposed to a nationwide rollout. They were able to create a brand name that signified quality coffee by choosing specific cities, and gaining the loyalty of consumers. Once a certain area proved to be successful, the company would then move on to saturate another market. Starbucks currently has retail operations in all but eight states. The company is currently testing new products in different cities in order to tap into untouched or underrepresented areas. In select locations, they have partnered with T-Mobile to provide high-speed wireless Internet service using either a laptop or PDA. Also, in some locations, they are serving hot breakfasts. In an attempt to compete on a local level, some retail operations have been supplied with automatic espresso machines in order to expedite service. Finally, in Denver, customers can pre-order and prepay by telephone or over the Starbucks Web site and once they arrive, the order is waiting for them.
In order to continue and maximize growth, Starbucks has entered the international market. In most countries, Starbucks chooses a local business partner to help them set up supplies and to understand the market and culture they are dealing with. This allows Starbucks to localize their retail operations, catering to the specific culture i.e. serving green tea in their Japan retail stores. There are important considerations that need to be made operationally, when they expand into new countries.
