BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – Teavana last week opened its latest concept store on Santa Monica Blvd. at the corner of Wilshire Blvd. - a well-established Starbucks landmark.
The fourth Teavana Fine Tea + Tea Bar, at 9844 Wilshire Blvd., is an interesting hybrid. The distinctive bronze clad cupola at the busy Beverly Hills Triangle now houses both store fronts which share a courtyard and tables. Prior to the remodel the cupola was black with green Starbucks awnings. The logo and signage for the Teavana Fine Tea + Tea Bar are now displayed on the most visible façade.
The opening Monday followed Teavana launches in New York, Seattle and Chicago. The new stores are larger than the typical mall location with an extensive food menu. The bars feature variable temperature water spigots, light tables to display colored teas and blenders to produce specialty tea drinks including lattes and carbonated ice tea. Some of the locations use BKON Craft Brewers featuring Reverse Atmospheric Infusion (RAIN) technology. Starbucks has installed a similarly expensive single-cup coffee brewer known as the Clover in more than 500 of its 20,157 locations, including this store. These stores feature difficult-to-find coffee just as Teavana features unusual and hard-to-find tea.
There is no cross-branding in the Teavana store front, only co-location but Starbucks sells a few of the most popular teas in the Teavana line. The co-location is new and potentially very beneficial to Teavana. Starbucks occupies highly-coveted retail locations worldwide. CEO Howard Schultz, known for his marketing prowess, relies on highly-trafficked locations to promote his brands. The company justifies the additional expense for leasing these locations – which is considerable in Beverly Hills – by spending relatively little on traditional television, print and radio advertising.
Starbucks on Saturday hosted a grand re-opening for the coffee shop which also received a face lift.
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – Teavana last week opened its latest concept store on Santa Monica Blvd. at the corner of Wilshire Blvd. - a well-established Starbucks landmark.
The fourth Teavana Fine Tea + Tea Bar, at 9844 Wilshire Blvd., is an interesting hybrid. The distinctive bronze clad cupola at the busy Beverly Hills Triangle now houses both store fronts which share a courtyard and tables. Prior to the remodel the cupola was black with green Starbucks awnings. The logo and signage for the Teavana Fine Tea + Tea Bar are now displayed on the most visible façade.
The opening Monday followed Teavana launches in New York, Seattle and Chicago. The new stores are larger than the typical mall location with an extensive food menu. The bars feature variable temperature water spigots, light tables to display colored teas and blenders to produce specialty tea drinks including lattes and carbonated ice tea. Some of the locations use BKON Craft Brewers featuring Reverse Atmospheric Infusion (RAIN) technology. Starbucks has installed a similarly expensive single-cup coffee brewer known as the Clover in more than 500 of its 20,157 locations, including this store. These stores feature difficult-to-find coffee just as Teavana features unusual and hard-to-find tea.
There is no cross-branding in the Teavana store front, only co-location but Starbucks sells a few of the most popular teas in the Teavana line. The co-location is new and potentially very beneficial to Teavana. Starbucks occupies highly-coveted retail locations worldwide. CEO Howard Schultz, known for his marketing prowess, relies on highly-trafficked locations to promote his brands. The company justifies the additional expense for leasing these locations – which is considerable in Beverly Hills – by spending relatively little on traditional television, print and radio advertising.
Starbucks on Saturday hosted a grand re-opening for the coffee shop which also received a face lift.