Starbucks opens its premium coffee shop in Milan

News24xx.com - Starbucks, the world's largest coffee network, embodies the dream of its founder by opening an upscale store in Milan this weekend. The main test is to convince Italian citizens who are obsessed with coffee to pay more just to get a cup of espresso.

The store will be the first giant coffee shop to enter the Italian market, the fourth largest coffee consumer in the world. This happened 35 years after chairman emeritus Howard Schultz visited Italy and was inspired to set up his own cafeteria network.

This place features green industrial scale roasters, marble counters, brass carvings, and of course prices that can make many Italians reluctant to make them their regular cafes.

At a price of EUR 1.80 for a simple espresso, Starbucks will charge almost double what Italian people pay at the local store. "Prices reflect the premium experience that we will offer customers" Starbucks Global Retail President John Culver said.

The coffee shop is built inside an elegant decades old palazzo that has been renovated by the company. "Once they enter the room, our customers will understand exactly what the premium experience means" he said.

Schultz said he was inspired to develop Starbucks in Italy since his visit in 1983 to Italy, where he was surprised by relationship between the barista and their buyers. Starbucks has now reached nearly 29,000 stores worldwide.

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