September 9, 2012
Starbucks is to start selling 280 drink combinations from lattes
to frothy cappuccinos from vending machines.
The first four will appear in Sainsbury’s supermarkets next week
with thousands more to follow in petrol stations, offices and airports.
Traditionally, coffee shops like Starbucks have made much of the
theatre of producing fresh coffee for customers, with trained barista expertly
managing the grinding, steaming and frothing.
It may well be difficult for the company to convince customers
that it can deliver something with an equivalent taste by simply pressing a
button on a vending machine.
However, Starbucks said the machines will offer 100per cent
Fairtrade Espresso coffee beans which are ground freshly for each drink.
At the same time, fresh milk will be individually steamed and
customers will be able to choose from 280 possible drink combinations.
The vending machine drinks will cost £2.10 for a ‘Tall’ serving,
which is a saving of 5p on the coffee shop price. The larger ‘Grande’ is £2.40,
which is a saving of 10p.
Any frills, such as extra shots of coffee or syrups will be free
from the machine, versus a normal charge of 35p.
As well as the new vending machines, Starbucks is in the throes of
opening 200 new drive-thru stores, creating 5,000 jobs, by the end of 2016.
The moves will spread the tentacles of the US coffee shop giant
beyond the more than 740 outlets the company already has in this country.
UK marketing vice president, Ian Cranna, said the ‘Starbucks on
the Go’ machines represent a multi-million pound opportunity.
‘We want to have thousands across the UK giving customers the
opportunity to get Starbucks coffee wherever they are,’ he said.
‘It is a response to a clear need. The most common thing I hear
from customers is that they want a Starbucks closer by.’
The firm claims the machines can offer 280 different drink
combinations to choose from and then prepare Starbucks quality coffee in less
than a minute.
UK managing director, Kris Engskov(correct), said: ‘This is part
of our wider strategy to have the best quality coffee available to our
customers in all those places where customers want and expect to see us.
‘We already serve over two million customers every week in our
stores, and by increasing the places where consumers can buy Starbucks coffee
means that we will tap into the huge opportunity around convenience and coffee
away from home giving our customers the great quality coffee they know and
love, wherever they may be.’
Starbucks is trying to match rivals Costa Coffee, who launched
their own vending machine operation some 18 months ago.
Costa bought Coffee Nation for £59.5million in March last year and
rebranded its 900 vending machines as Costa Express. It has plans to increase
the number to 3,000 by 2013.