Starbucks Coffee Co.

Waban, Mass. -- Research results released Tuesday by Temkin Group, which rates the customer experience of 206 large companies across 18 industries, showed that only eight companies deliver excellent customer experience: Sam's Club and Publix led the pack, followed by Starbucks, Subway, Chick-fil-A, Aldi, Winn-Dixie, H.E.B., and credit unions.

According to the 2012 Temkin Experience Ratings, in its second year, 76 companies (37% of the total) earned "poor" or "very poor" ratings.

Seattle -- Starbucks Coffee Corp. has entered into a joint venture with Tata Global Beverages Limited that will result in the opening of the first-ever Starbucks locations in India. The 50/50 joint venture, called TATA Starbucks Limited, will own and operate Starbucks cafés, which will be branded as Starbucks Coffee “A Tata Alliance.” (Tata Global Beverages is the world’s second largest tea company and Asia’s largest coffee plantation company.)

New York City -- Starbucks Coffee Co. plans to sell beer, wine and more upscale food, including hot flatbreads and small plates, in a small number of its locations in Atlanta and Southern California by the end of this. The company previously announced the same plans for about half a dozen stores in Chicago.

Currently, five stores in the Seattle area and one in Portland, Oregon, now feature the extended offerings.

New York City -- Starbucks Corp. is closing in on its retail deal with India’s Tata Coffee Ltd., which makes and exports instant coffee and plantation coffee, Reuters reported.

Tata Coffee plans to open a Starbucks coffee shop by the end of this year, the report said.

The physical and virtual retail worlds continue to converge thanks to innovative technology, especially as consumers rapidly adopt digital solutions and apply them to their retailing experiences.

“Consumer-driven solutions are what keep customers at the epicenter of the shopping experience, and that’s what retail is all about,” said Sahir Anand, VP and research group director for Aberdeen Group, Boston.

Keller, Texas -- Jacksonville, Fla.-based Regency Centers said that Bear Creek Running Co. will open a new store at Keller Town Center, located in Keller, Texas.

The new 1,200-sq.-ft. store is slated to open Jan. 2012.

Keller Town Center is a 114,937-sq.-ft. shopping center anchored by a 63,631-sq.-ft. Tom Thumb alongside national retailers such as Starbucks, Pizza Hut and RadioShack.

Seattle -- Starbucks Coffee U.K. plans to create thousands of new jobs in the United Kingdom as it steps up its drive-thru program following three years of development and strong customer response to the convenience of Starbucks coffee on-the-go.

The move will see 200 new drive-thru stores opened over the next five years. Combined with openings of conventional stores over the same period, the company expects to create 5,000 new jobs.

New York City -- Solid-state lighting figures prominently in Starbucks’ newly renovated Time Square flagship in New York City. The retailer utilized the services of Focus Lighting, a New York-based architectural lighting design firm, which called upon LED Source, an international supplier of LED lighting.

“LEDs are the most energy-efficient lighting solution on the market,” said Joe Zamore, VP of business development, LED Source, Wellington, Fla., which specializes specializes in full-scale evaluations and retrofits.