Starbucks Wins Over Argentines, Opens 15th Store
The Seattle-based bean grinder to the masses has opened a new store in downtown Buenos Aires, further reinforcing the notion that it is winning over Argentines and their taste buds.
This is the company’s 15th store in Argentina, and it’s first in an office building.
Starbucks is also about to open two other stores, both located at the UADE university, downtown.
“We’re very displeased that Starbucks is opening yet another sucky chain store in Argentina,” the company’s CEO said in a statement. “The coffee sucks and is expensive but people keep coming. They just can’t help themselves. We take their money and buy dollars in the local currency market. It’s a sweet gig.”
All right, so that’s not really what Starbucks said. Starbucks press releases always follow the same template. Here’s the real one:
“We’re very happy to be starting 2010 with the inauguration our 15th store…,” Starbucks Argentina General Manager Diego Paolini said. “This is just the beginning of a year of great growth and consolidation in the local market. We hope our customers keep choosing us as they have until now.”
Starbucks is having much more success than many of its foreign fast-food predecessors. As noted in a previous post, other companies that have crashed and burned in Argentina include Dunkin’ Donuts, Dominos Pizza, Pizza Hut, Fuddruckers, Subway Sandwiches, Schlotzskys, and Wendy’s.
My favorite store is on Federico Lacroze in Belgrano. The building it’s in is gorgeous.
You can find all of the local Starbucks locations here:
Shopping Alto Palermo – Arenales y Av. Coronel Díaz (Palermo)
Av. Federico Lacroze 2301 – corner of 3 de Febrero (Belgrano)
Callao 702 – corner of Viamonte (Centro)
Avenida Elcano 3179 (Belgrano R)
Malabia 1738 (Palermo Soho)
Calle Florida (Florida, at the corner of Rivadavia)
Abasto Shopping Mall Corrientes 3247
Dot Shopping Center (Melian Avenue and the Panamerican highway)
Dot Shopping Center (Melian Avenue and the Panamerican highway)
Patio Bullrich Shopping Mall (Posadas 1245)
Comodoro Rivadavia and Libertador (Nuñez)
Galerías Pacífico Shopping Mall (near Cordoba and Florida, downtown)
Unicenter (Martínez)
Guemes 897 Alto Avellaneda (Avellaneda)
Republica Office Building (near the newspaper La Nación)
COMING SOON: 717 Lima, near the UADE University
I’d much rather see any of those other companies return than another frickin’ Starbucks.
the Elcano building is goregeous too! and yeah, Starbucks seems to be unstoppable. It’s going to open 2 stores inside (not nearby) the UADE building (4th and 8th floor), and also one in the caballito neighbourhood. you can find more pics and data in my blog
ps: subway is still working! they have 8 stores nationwide.
Hey Andres,
Thanks for the insight! Subway has crashed and burned so many times here that I’ve lost track of it. I’m surprised they’ve already got 8 stores again. I knew of only one downtown.
Thanks again,
Taos
Make that 9. They just opened another one in Capital at Paraguay 1399. To bad the ferreteria urbana that was there had to go
http://world.subway.com/Countries/frmLocatorResult.aspx?CC=ARG&LC=SPA&Mode=
Tragic …… just tragic.
Funny, when we moved here, I hated the coffee and missed my Starbucks. As the months went by, I got a taste for the coffee here. Then last year we went to the Starbucks at Alto Palermo, I ordered a Frappacino. It was the worst thing I ever taste ! What happened ??
I know , I like the coffee here better
I don’t care how many Starbucks and McDonalds there are here, big cities all over the world can have a little this and a little that from other countries, it is not a threat to BA to have Starbucks.
When we lived in the States, we never ate at any of those restaurants so it won’t matter if they are here or not to us. I have also adjusted to the pizza here
I just want some good dark chocolate. Real chocolate. Real Good Chocolate.
Candice: for some good chocolate visit http://www.purocacao.com.ar or
http://www.chocolatesfenix.com
At Fenix I go to bulk buy chocoalte chips to make chocolate chip cookies….
It’s hard to believe that people will prefer a frikkin’ tall-caramel-decaff-machiatto-light-blended-$5.00-Starbucks-thing to a cortadito in any given BA corner!!!!
Why would anyone in Argentina go to starbucks when they have REAL coffee there? Makes no sense.