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[BloggingStocks] What if retail sales go negative? Stocks to sell: CC, SHLD, GPS ...: Starbucks earnings preview: McDonald's premium coffee troubles imply even worse problems for SBUX · Plunging markets to hurt endowments, pensions, venture capital · 'High School Musical 3' a cut above 'Saw V' · Short-term interest rates ...

[Financial Post - Top Stories] McDonald's profit rises: McDonald's, one of 30 companies making up the benchmark Dow Jones Industrial Average, grabbed U.S. sales from more-expensive restaurants as it advertised iced mochas, US$1 iced sweet tea and dollar-menu foods. Comparable-store sales increased 7.1% globally during the quarter, with Europe outpacing the U.S. on demand for snack-sized chicken wraps in Germany and France and breakfast foods in the U.K.

[BloggingStocks] Earnings preview: McDonald's to serve up a happy meal of data ...: Besides earnings, investors will focus on same-store sales. That metric is one of the best indicators of a company that is made up of many locations.

[Wall Street Pit: Stock Market Insights] Supersized Survivors Defy Economic Gloom: A few years ago, McDonald’s opened a kosher restaurant there, the first one to exist outside of Israel. Astonishingly McDonald’s is equally popular with consumers aged 12 to 64.

[The Anti-Marketer] The Anti-Marketer: Has Starbucks Gone Far Enough?: Secondly, Starbucks gives the appearance of continuing to be in denial that speed and price are performance criteria that a large percentage of their customers deem important, and that many will sacrifice the brand image of Starbucks to get a good enough cup at McDonalds. Admittedly, this is a very tough line to hold, since through its chain-store ubiquity, Starbucks has ceased to be a unique neighborhood place, becoming instead the middle-of-the-road McDonalds of premium coffee.

[Japan Marketing News] Japan Marketing News: Starbucks Japan: ongoing drop in same store ...: While metro markets are not yet saturated, the competition for shop space in high-density Japan is, as ever, fierce. As a result the company has begun pouring energy into less traditional locations like highway rest stops, hospitals, universities and train stations.

 [John Quelch] How Starbucks' Growth Destroyed Brand Value - John Quelch: This is exactly what happens to the companies which forget the basics of marketing & managing a business, consumer research, value addition, differentiating, positioning etc..I can see a similar end result of one of leading cafes in my country (India) too..Cafe Coffee Day (CCD), an Amalgamated Coffee Beans Co. brand..The way they are expanding, can be compared to the last decade expansion of Starbucks'..Same strategies..cross selling..internet connected outlets..selling own coffee brands..but then there is no difference between a Barista or a CCD...ther difference is only in the price..& that too is very little..

 [HBS Working Knowledge] Starbucks' Lessons for Premium Brands ”” HBS Working Knowledge: First, the early adopters who valued the club-like atmosphere of relaxing over a quality cup of coffee found themselves in a minority. To grow, Starbucks increasingly appealed to grab and go customers for whom service meant speed of order delivery rather than recognition by and conversation with a barista.

 [Barel Karsan] Barel Karsan: Starbucks Looks Cheap - Part I: As for the competition, McDonald’s seems to be the current major threat to Starbucks. There is plenty of debate on which coffee tastes better between the two.

 [City Room] At Doomed Starbucks Shops, Sighs, but No Broken Hearts - City Room ...: While I have in general stopped going to Starbucks in favor of Peet’s, I really think all the moaning about evil Starbuck’s is misplaced. They do take care of their employees (read Howard’s book to get why), they did transform America’s relationship to coffee (maybe not in Soho, but certainly in suburbia - who would even think of drinking Maxwell House now), and in my experience, the local shops have blossomed in the wake of what Starbuck’s created.

[T Town Tommy] T Town Tommy: Starbucks and Your Wallet: And, while they may prefer Starbucks, the availability of "good enough" alternatives, especially when convenience, time or price is an issue means that Starbucks is facing serious competition from low-end competitors for the first time -- and those low-end competitors (McDonalds, Dunkin Donuts, your local gas station) have even more pervasiveness and financial muscle than Starbucks.

Reflected tags on Technorati: Blog, Starbucks, Open Coffee Library