Starbucks History Information - General Information, History, Positioning, and Target Market
The first Starbucks opened in 1971 in Seattle's historic Pike Place Market and was owned by Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegel, and Gordon Bowker. During the first decade of its existence, the company sold fresh roasted gourmet coffee beans and accessories for brewing and roasting. In 1982, the founders were joined by an entrepreneur named Howard Shultz who functioned as the firm's Director of Retail Operations and Marketing ("Facts about Starbucks Coffee Company"). While on a trip to Italy, Howard Shultz came across Italian "coffee culture", where patrons in the café would sit around the tables and enjoy themselves while drinking coffee. The café's appeared to function as a meeting place for Italians, where they would socialize and spend time in leisure.
Starbucks History Information
Shultz believed that this "coffee culture" could be replicated in United States, and that the incorporation of coffee bars in Starbucks stores could seed the coffee culture here. Shultz idea was rejected by the founders who believed that the firm should focus on selling beans and equipment rather than engaging in restaurant business. Schultz was nonetheless successful in convincing the founders to open a concept coffee shop that would incorporate his vision of coffee culture. The experiment was successful, but the founders hesitated to implement his vision company-wide. Frustrated, Shultz started his own coffee shop called Il Giornale.
With his coffee shop becoming a successful venture, Shultz went on to acquire Starbucks in 1987 from its founders with the help of local investors. Shultz changed the name of his stores from II Giornale to Starbucks and expanded aggressively ("Company Timeline"). Five years later, Starbucks was listed in NASDAQ and over the course of next 17 years, the company expanded into 49 countries with 16,000 stores and 160,000 employees ("Starbucks Corporation Fiscal 2008 Annual Report").
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