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Starbucks expands alcohol offering in US
US coffee chain Starbucks is to sell alcohol at thousands of its US stores as part of a plan to double its market value to $100 billion.
In 2010 Starbucks, which has around 11,000 locations in the US, began selling alcohol after 4pm at one Seattle location under the project name Starbucks Evenings.
The initiative was a success and later rolled out to a further 26 store in the US including Chicago, Atlanta and LA.
Yesterday it announced that by 2014 a further 40 stores will be selling alcohol after 4pm with thousands more set to follow over the next few years.
The newly transformed bistro style cafés will serve beer, wine and a variety of small dishes in the evenings as part of a plan to boost its market value to $100 billion.
Troy Alstead, chief operating officer, told Bloomberg it is hoped that offering alcohol in the evenings will boost sales but that the roll-out would take several years.
He said: “We’ve tested it long enough in enough markets — this is a program that works.”
“As we bring the evening program to stores, there’s a meaningful increase in sales during that time of the day.”
The ‘after 4pm’ menu includes food such as truffle macaroni and cheese, chicken skewers, Chardonnay and chocolate fondue.
The Chicago menu features nine wines including a Prosecco, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Brachetto, Pinot Noir, Malbec, Chianti, and Cabernet Sauvignon.