So clearly I am slow on the uptake.
I have just read about the unbranded Starbucks that were trialled in Seattle mid-2009. Sneakily called 15th Ave Coffee & Tea , ever so discrete reference to the major globalised coffee chain. I am not a major fan of Starbucks but in countries where coffee is not good – places like the States, Canada – I think there is a complete purpose for the mushrooming of chains where you know what you get.
But don’t you think that it is intriguing that they are now trying to distance themselves in the market that made them famous and in which it is acceptable to frequent through lack of other good places to go?
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Interesting post and it is ironic.
In other industries, I see this happen when a company wants to make a cheaper or not as well made version of its product. I wonder if a similar strategy is being used here.