Starbucks, 'Espresso Homeland' Takeover? Opening 4th Store in Rome

Faced Strong Initial Resistance but Successfully Entered Italy
Starbucks "Aiming for 37 Stores by the End of This Year"

The global coffee chain Starbucks is continuing to expand its business in Italy. Although it faced strong resistance in the early stages of its business in Italy, the "home of espresso," it has successfully established itself in the market and is aggressively growing its operations.

According to Italy's Adnkronos news agency, Starbucks opened a new store on the 23rd (local time) on Via Cola di Rienzo 23, a bustling shopping street near the Vatican.

This is the fourth Starbucks store in Rome. The first Starbucks store in Rome opened last April at the outskirts' Castel Romano Designer Outlet, followed this year by stores near the Chamber of Deputies in the city center and inside Termini Station, the hub of Rome's public transportation.

Founded in 1971 in Seattle, USA, Starbucks is the company with the most coffee stores worldwide. As of November 2022, Starbucks had 35,711 stores in 80 countries around the world.

However, Starbucks opened its first store in Italy, the country considered the birthplace of coffee culture, only in 2018, 47 years after its founding.

Italy has a well-developed coffee culture of its own. Most cafes are individual bar-style establishments where people drink strong espresso and have brief interactions with baristas. Because of these characteristics, Starbucks faced unfavorable views when entering Italy. Some citizens vehemently opposed Starbucks' entry, even setting fire to a tree planted by Starbucks in Piazza del Duomo.

Cafe scene in Rome, Italy

However, the first store in Milan was unexpectedly successful, prompting Starbucks to expand its business. Until now, stores have been concentrated in northern regions like Milan, where there are many wealthy residents and foreigners, but recently, Starbucks has been focusing on the capital Rome and southern regions as well.

Starbucks plans to increase the number of stores across Italy to 37 by the end of this year. Vincenzo Catrambone, head of Starbucks Italy, said, "Starbucks is continuously investing in Rome," adding, "The fourth store in Rome will not be the last opening this year, and we are ready to surprise Italy."