Specialty Coffee Retailer is a publication for owners, managers and employees of retail outlets that sell specialty coffee. Its scope includes best sales practices, supplies, business trends and anything else to assist the small coffee retailer.
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/92590
The new Tazo store will be located in University Village, an upscale outdoor mall in Seattle. Photo by Lara Swimmer tea merchandise, and a tea bar with a wide range of beverage options and food pairings," says Charles Cain, Tazo VP of merchant and operations. "We see an opportunity to introduce the casual American tea drinker to a tea experience that will change the competitive landscape. Storefront puts Tazo in forefront Near its Seattle headquarters, Starbucks opens the first-ever store dedicated solely to its Tazo tea. BY DAN BOLTON market." That's why this month in Seattle, Starbucks is scheduled to T open its first Tazo branded tea retail location. The store, which employs 12 well-trained "tea partners", will azo executives say "now is the right time to make a significant strategic investment in Tazo and the tea a specialist to create their own personal blends. An online e-commerce site will make Tazo's refreshed product line available nationally. "Our mission is to raise consumer expectations for their tea experience the same way that Starbucks did for coffee," A tea blending station permits customers to work with " says Cain, who has managed tea retail operations for several companies. "Tazo, a $1.4 billion brand, will continue to play an important role in our Starbucks retail stores, through CPG [consumer packaged goods] in grocery, and you'll also see us explore new ways of bringing the artistry and heritage of tea to life for our customers." GROWTH OPPORTUNITY The "casual American tea drinker" presents a unique growth opportunity in North America, Cain explains. "For us, we've never seen it as a 'coffee or tea' proposition. We believe the opportunity is to provide personalized experiences with both beverages. Yes, there are customers that will only drink coffee, and others that only drink tea. But by and large, we've heard and seen that the majority of consumers are open to, and excited about, both tea and coffee in different ways, at different times, and to meet different needs," he says. Customers entering the store will pass merchandise and view pastries under glass as they would in a conventional Starbucks location. But this is not the typical grab-and-go, says Starbucks spokesperson Holly Hart Shafer. "The heart of the experience will be a blending station," Hart Shafer explains. The blending bar offers an opportunity to make their own offer 80 varieties of loose leaf tea and tisanes. The store features a sampling bar much like a wine tasting room and seating for quiet conversation. Tazo selected University Village, an upscale outdoor mall in Seattle, to construct the concept store. The shopping center includes a Jamba Juice and Starbucks as well as a Specialty's Café and cupcake shop. "We'll offer an interactive retail experience with more than 80 brand-new loose-leaf teas, a curated collection of 20 unique blends with the aid of a Tazo "tea partner" selected for their combination of expertise, enthusiasm and customer service, she says. Customers begin with a basic tea and add a variety of ingredients such as lemon, hibiscus, cinnamon, cardamom and bergamot. "This is the place to mingle, to discuss and actively engage customers' interest in tea. Some will sit and stay for a cup; others will blend and buy a pouch of loose-leaf and leave, Hart Shafer says. "The experience will be similar to that at wine tasting bars." "