“What did you have for lunch today? If so, I recommend these beans.”
Starbucks Reserve store staff often ask this question and recommend coffee. Starbucks Korea’s Reserve brand, which was first launched in 2014 to target the premium market, celebrated its 10th anniversary this year. Reserve stores have been operated as shop-in-shops coexisting with general stores. However, Starbucks has recently made a bold move to create a dedicated store that can emphasize the uniqueness of Reserve.
According to Starbucks on the 25th, the number of Starbucks Reserve stores nationwide is currently 63. While the number of regular Starbucks stores increases every year, the number of Reserve stores is steadily decreasing. The number of stores, which started with 10 in the first year of opening, peaked at around 90 in 2019 and then decreased to the current level.
The method of sharing space with general stores has been a factor in lowering the satisfaction of customers visiting the reserve. It has been pointed out that coffee lovers who wanted to enjoy reserve drinks in a special atmosphere by paying 1,000 to 5,000 won more than general store drinks were often disappointed by the ambiguous store environment.
Accordingly, Starbucks decided to stand alone as a reserve store in order to create a space where it can fully provide the coffee experience that is its brand identity. It is currently carrying out a ‘brand repositioning’ task by changing the existing reserve store opening strategy. Currently, there are three reserve-only stores: ‘The Jeju Songdang Park R’ in Jeju Island, ‘The Bukhan River R’ in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, and ‘Ewha R’ in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. A new reserve-only store is scheduled to open this year as well.
A Starbucks official said, “We are carrying out repositioning work to strengthen brand competitiveness and expand differentiated customer experiences in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the launch of Reserve,” adding, “We plan to continue to strengthen Reserve-only menus, customized benefits for each customer, and services.”
Starbucks Reserve sells specialty coffees that are harvested in extremely small quantities around the world and can only be experienced for a limited period. Consumers can choose the beans and extraction method themselves, so they can enjoy them according to their tastes. All baristas working at Starbucks Reserve stores are experts who have completed the Starbucks coffee expert training program, ‘Coffee Master’. Baristas who have also passed the global Starbucks certification evaluation directly select the beans and extract them in six different ways.
Consumers can relax in a spacious space and hear about the process of making a cup of Reserve coffee. At the Reserve store, you can also find specialty drinks in the Teavana, Fizzio, and Blended categories that do not contain coffee. A Starbucks representative explained, “We are delivering a special coffee experience by including the efforts of farmers to complete the coffee, beans with various flavors, various extraction methods, and barista stories.”
Although low-priced coffee franchises are doing very well in the market, Starbucks’ position is solid. As of the second quarter, the number of Starbucks stores nationwide was 1,937, and it is expected to exceed 2,000 next year. An industry insider said, “Starbucks is the brand that has secured the most loyal customers among coffee franchises,” and “In particular, the ‘R’ mark, which symbolizes the Reserve store, played a big role in captivating consumers who want to enjoy a luxurious coffee culture.”
Reporter Kim Seong-hun [email protected]
