Expansion
STARBUCKS
Entering the Netherlands
Starbucks,
Entering the Netherlands
Student: Bart Verhulst
Student number: 20024409
Supervisor: Mr. Kandou
Date:
”The Hague School of European Studies”
Haagse Hogeschool, Den Haag
Executive summary
In this thesis, the luxury coffee company Starbucks has been well described, although many aspects of the company have been left out of consideration in order to keep it relevant and clear. However, while Starbucks has not entered the Netherlands yet, there is much more for the Dutch to learn about the company. Many Dutch people are interested in the cause of the company’s absence in their country. Especially the fact that the Netherlands is a country with a tremendous coffee culture and the earlier opening of a Starbucks coffee roasting plant in Amsterdam has brought more question marks to it. There seems to be enough foothold for the company at first sight, given the fact that Starbucks already has many supporters in the Netherlands, proven by, for example, the online petition set up by a Starbucks fan to bring Starbucks to the Netherlands, which thousands of people signed. Obviously, there is a demand for Starbucks in the Netherlands, which is to be expected from a rich, internationally focused and highly developed country like the Netherlands. Now the question rises: why has Starbucks not yet entered the Dutch market? All this has been an inspiration for this thesis and eventually brought forward the following research question: ”Is the Dutch coffee market ready for Starbucks stores and with which instruments can Starbucks grow in the Dutch market?” In order to answer this question, the company is shortly introduced and analysed with the help of the SWOT-theory. The strengths (like its world famous brand and its effective marketing strategy) against the weaknesses (like its “McDonald’s”-image and its relatively high prices) give insight in the internal environment of Starbucks. Looking at the
Entering the Netherlands
Starbucks,
Entering the Netherlands
Student: Bart Verhulst
Student number: 20024409
Supervisor: Mr. Kandou
Date:
”The Hague School of European Studies”
Haagse Hogeschool, Den Haag
Executive summary
In this thesis, the luxury coffee company Starbucks has been well described, although many aspects of the company have been left out of consideration in order to keep it relevant and clear. However, while Starbucks has not entered the Netherlands yet, there is much more for the Dutch to learn about the company. Many Dutch people are interested in the cause of the company’s absence in their country. Especially the fact that the Netherlands is a country with a tremendous coffee culture and the earlier opening of a Starbucks coffee roasting plant in Amsterdam has brought more question marks to it. There seems to be enough foothold for the company at first sight, given the fact that Starbucks already has many supporters in the Netherlands, proven by, for example, the online petition set up by a Starbucks fan to bring Starbucks to the Netherlands, which thousands of people signed. Obviously, there is a demand for Starbucks in the Netherlands, which is to be expected from a rich, internationally focused and highly developed country like the Netherlands. Now the question rises: why has Starbucks not yet entered the Dutch market? All this has been an inspiration for this thesis and eventually brought forward the following research question: ”Is the Dutch coffee market ready for Starbucks stores and with which instruments can Starbucks grow in the Dutch market?” In order to answer this question, the company is shortly introduced and analysed with the help of the SWOT-theory. The strengths (like its world famous brand and its effective marketing strategy) against the weaknesses (like its “McDonald’s”-image and its relatively high prices) give insight in the internal environment of Starbucks. Looking at the
Links: Distribution The entry strategy is often translated in the distribution policy, because it describes how the products are being spread and through which channel (Veldman, 2004, p