Percolating in Lausanne: Starbucks makes a move
The Starbucks company has announced it is moving its green coffee buying operations to the western Swiss city of Lausanne to help its expansion plans outside North America.
Starbucks, based in Seattle, said it would relocate two executives to Lausanne next spring and hire a small number of local employees to coordinate coffee buying.
The company said that inventory management, quality control and other coffee-related issues would remain in Seattle.
Committed to coffee
A Starbucks spokeswoman said the move fits the company’s global expansion plan, which includes “an unwavering commitment to purchasing the highest quality coffee”.
No employees will be made redundant as a result of the move, she added.
Starbucks hopes to quadruple its coffeehouse number form almost 5,000 units to 20,000 in the coming years.
The company opened its first continental European store in Zurich on March 7 in cooperation with Switzerland’s Bon appétit group. In September 2000, the two signed a joint venture agreement to develop Starbucks’ retail business in Switzerland.
The Bon appétit group is Switzerland’s leading listed company in the food trade.
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