Starbucks Coffee Co.

Starbucks is keeping good on its latest national initiative.    The coffee giant said it will open a store in Dallas, in spring 2018, and Trenton, New Jersey, later this year, as part of its program to invest in at least 15 underserved communities across the U.S. by 2018. To date, Starbucks has opened six similar stores, including in Ferguson, Missouri, central Phoenix, and East Baltimore.  

Free coffee was on the menu at some Starbucks locations on Tuesday, due to a point-of-sale software glitch.    What the coffee giant described as a typical software update ended up putting point-of-sale systems out of commission — and for longer than expected, in some locations. The outage began in the evening on Monday, May 16, and continued into Tuesday, May 17, according to CNBC.  

People and corporations are streaming back into America’s downtowns. Are they chain retailers’ best hope for growth?

“City of stars, are you shining just for me?” sings Ryan Gosling in this year’s hit movie musical “La La Land.” “City of stars, there’s so much that I can’t see.”

Starbucks Corp. met profit expectations for its second quarter even as its sales disappointed.     The retailer’s net earnings increased 13.5%, to $652.8 million, or 45 cents a share, in line with expectations. Revenue totaled $5.28 billion, less than expected.   Same-store sales rose 3%, also below forecasts, as average tickets rose 4%. Customer transactions were down 2%, which the company attributed to a change in its rewards program.  

Starbucks Coffee Company is going big in the Windy City — in a space that is currently to home to one of the city’s iconic retail flagships.    The coffee retailer will open a four-level, 43,000-sq.-ft. Starbucks Reserve Roastery on Michigan Avenue in Chicago in 2019, in the building currently occupied by Crate & Barrel. The home goods chain, which has operated a store on the site for 27 years, is expected to close its door in early 2018.   

Athletic brands rule when it comes to teen preferences for apparel and footwear.   That’s according to Piper Jaffrey’s 33rd semi-annual Taking Stock With Teens research survey which details teen spending trends and brand preferences. Nike ranked as the top brand with teens, with a 31% share, up from 21% last year. Another athletic brand, Adidas, however, is the fastest growing brand in the survey across footwear & apparel.  

It’s a new day at Starbucks Corp.   Kevin Johnson officially took over as CEO of Starbucks on Monday, April 3. Outgoing CEO Howard Schultz continues on at the company as executive chairman, and will focus on the development of  Starbucks’ new formats, Reserve Roasteries and Starbucks Reserve,  and the company’s social impact initiatives.   

Starbucks Corp. is making some changes to its Seattle headquarters that include a couple of format debuts.   The coffee giant is set to open its first-ever location that only accepts mobile orders and payments on the eight floor of the building, reported the Puget Sound Business Journal.