counts, and delivered to stores just in time from vendors or Starbucks warehouses. Store layouts and costs involved were developed electronically. All these measures allowed for cost cutting and reduced store development time from 24 to 18 weeks.Schultz and Olsen took Starbucks ambiance concept even further, when confronted their project team with a “stores of the future project” in 1995. Their vision of the store was of: “an authentic coffee experience that conveyed the artistry of espresso making, a place to think and imagine, a spot where people could gather and talk over a great cup of coffee, a comforting refuge that provided a sense of community, a third place for people to congregate beyond work or the home, a place that welcomed people and rewarded them for coming, and a layout that could accommodate both fast service and quiet moments." Extensive research was undertaken by a team of developers into the history of coffee, from coffee growing to coffee-making techniques. Based on already evolved corporate identity of Starbucks, four new store designs were created, each identified with one of the stages of coffee making. In 1996, Starbucks opened new stores based on one of the four templates: growing, roasting, brewing, and aroma—each distinguish by own color combinations, and lighting scheme.New structure eased a problem of expansive store customization, as now the company could vary the materials and details to adapt to different store sizes and settings: downtown buildings, college campuses, shopping areas.Two mini-store formats and movable stations in line with design concept described above were introduced the same year, to cater to office-building lobbies, and other stores.According to …this project has accomplished: better store designs, lowered store opening costs, and expanded sales as new formats allowed for new positioning strategies.Appendix E:HR:Starbucks’s annual report states,...
