Starbucks Coffee Company Celebrates the Opening of Its First Store in Paris

Starbucks Coffee International, a wholly owned subsidiary of Starbucks Coffee Company (Nasdaq:SBUX), and its joint venture partner Grupo Vips, will celebrate the opening of the first Starbucks store in Paris on Friday, January 16, 2004.


The store is located in the heart of the city at 26 Avenue de l'Opera, one of Paris' popular tourist and shopping districts. Starbucks Coffee France SAS, the joint venture company, will manage the day-to-day operations of Starbucks retail locations in France.

"We're looking forward to sharing the Starbucks Experience with French customers at our first store in Paris," said Franck Esquerre, managing director, Starbucks Coffee France SAS. "As France has a very strong coffee tradition, we are confident that our quality coffees and the Starbucks coffeehouse experience will be appreciated by French customers."

"Over the past few months, we have been working closely with several small specialty French food companies to adapt some of Starbucks key pastries to local tastes," continued Esquerre. "We are also using local ingredients to develop traditional French pastries and other fresh food items to appeal to our French customers."

Starbucks Coffee International and Grupo Vips, a leading Spanish food service and retail operator, announced a joint venture in September 2003 to open Starbucks retail locations in France.

"Paris is the ideal gateway for Starbucks entry into the French market," said Howard Schultz, chairman, Starbucks Coffee Company. "We take great pride in opening our first Starbucks store in France, and look forward to building a great and enriching relationship with the French people by offering them the highest quality of coffee along with the Starbucks Experience.

"We chose the Opera district as the location for our first store in Paris as it is a true crossroads of French and international cultures," continued Schultz. "Since there is already a strong, vibrant and lively local coffee culture, we believe that there is excellent growth potential for Starbucks. Our commitment to the market is long-term and we are very optimistic about our opportunities for success in France."

In addition to the first store, Starbucks Coffee France SAS will open its second store in the business area of La Defense, at the foot of the Coeur de France office block, on Monday, January 19, 2004.

"On the occasion of our official opening, I am delighted to announce a partnership with the French charity organization Les Restaurants du Coeur," said Esquerre. "We will be working with the association to find opportunities for our partners to become involved in the local communities and help those in need." Les Restaurants du Coeur is a national non-profit organization that feeds the homeless and initiates social programs that benefit the less fortunate. This partnership speaks to Starbucks commitment towards contributing positively to the communities where it operates.

In conjunction with Starbucks store opening, colette, the renowned Parisian concept store located at 213, rue Saint-Honore, will also serve a selection of the finest Starbucks coffees and beverages at its water-bar restaurant beginning tomorrow. Starbucks is pleased with its partnership with colette as it represents a resounding endorsement of Starbucks commitment to the highest quality coffee and unique coffeehouse environment.

As part of Starbucks long-standing commitment to farmers in origin countries, Starbucks purchases the highest quality green coffee in the world and on average pays substantially more than the commodity price for its coffee. Additionally, the company has established coffee sourcing guidelines with social, economic, and environmental criteria and seeks to establish direct relationships with coffee producers to contribute to their sustainability and help conserve the environment.

Starbucks is pleased to announce an agreement with Max Havelaar France to offer one Fair Trade Certified coffee product in its stores in France. Max Havelaar is an independent international organization that grants its label to brands that adhere to international Fair Trade standards. The certification guarantees customers that the products have been purchased at a fair price from producers.

"Just as it has done in 19 other countries around the world, Starbucks will offer a Fair Trade Certified coffee in its stores in France," said Victor Ferreira, director, Max Havelaar France. "This positive action demonstrates Starbucks leadership in distributing Fair Trade Certified coffees on a large scale. It is also an opportunity for French people to have greater access to Fair Trade products in a new location, and for them to share in Starbucks commitment to paying coffee producers fair prices for their products."

Grupo Vips is the Spanish market leader in full service dining. The group operates several leading chains including the VIPS concept (retail and restaurant), as well as Ginos and Laene. The group also operates other international brands: T.G.I. Friday's, Bice (Madrid) and Starbucks since 2002. It also owns and operates many other established restaurants amongst which are the celebrated Iroco, Teatriz and El Bodegon.

Starbucks Coffee Company is the leading retailer, roaster and brand of specialty coffee in the world, with more than 7,500 retail locations in North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and the Pacific Rim. The company is committed to offering the highest quality coffee and Starbucks Experience and conducting its business in ways that help foster social, environmental and economic benefits for communities in which it does business.


Logos, product and company names mentioned are the property of their respective owners.

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