Can Starbucks Make it in France?
The always expanding Starbucks is now jumping into the French market with both feet. The Seattle based coffee giant has begun the French invasion in earnest with 23 Starbucks already open.
Business Week Online reports that Starbucks is catching on in France in a very big way. With slow and steady expansion over the next few years, Starbucks France could build up a nice business. But it is unlikely ever to be as important as markets like Britain, where the company is about to open its 500th store. Experts expect branded coffee chains to represent just 250 outlets by 2008 in France, compared with the 55,000 traditional cafés. When it comes to coffee, at least, French purists need not worry about a U.S. cultural invasion.