On September 11th, Red Star Capital announced that Brian Niccol, Chairman and CEO of Starbucks, released an open letter to all customers, partners, and stakeholders during his first week in office. He promised to return to Starbucks' original intention, redefine Starbucks' positioning as a community caf é, and strive to enhance the store experience.
Nicole stated in the letter that in the past few weeks of taking over, he has been communicating with store staff, customers, as well as with the company's operations, store design, marketing, and other teams. "Everyone generally believes that we have deviated from the core," she said
Nicole explained that Starbucks' core refers to high-quality coffee and community atmosphere. The original intention of Starbucks was to love high-quality coffee, which is handmade by Green Apron partners and served to customers for careful enjoyment. Meanwhile, the store is not only a place for drinking beverages, but also a gathering place and community center.
Nicole found that Starbucks in some places, especially in the United States, make customers feel too busy completing transactions, having overly complex menus, unstable products, long waiting times, or handing them over to customers.
In response to these issues, Starbucks will first redefine the positioning of community cafes and other four key issues, including ensuring that partners have equipment support and sufficient time to produce delicious drinks every time and deliver them to every customer. In order to support the development of its US business, Starbucks has taken measures such as upgrading applications and mobile ordering platforms to enhance customer experience.
Current Measures in Starbucks Open Letter Source: Starbucks China Official WeChat
For the Chinese market, Nicole believes that it is necessary to understand the potential ways to achieve growth and fully leverage advantages in this dynamic market.
On August 13th, Starbucks announced the appointment of Nicole as Chairman and CEO, who will officially take office on September 9th. Before joining Starbucks, Nicol was a well-known "fire brigade leader" in the food and beverage industry. He served as the chairman and CEO of Chipotle, a Mexican chain food and beverage brand. Under his leadership, the company, which had been plagued by food safety and brand crises, almost doubled its revenue, increased its profits nearly sevenfold, and saw its stock price rise by nearly 800%.
