Starbucks Celebrates 25th Anniversary Milestone in Canada
Starbucks invites Canadians to celebrate with a tall brewed coffee for just 25 cents on June 12th from open until 11 a.m.
VANCOUVER, June 7, 2012 /CNW/ - In 1987, Starbucks Coffee Company (NASDAQ:SBUX) opened its first store outside of the U.S. at the Seabus Terminal in Vancouver, Canada. Success in Canada demonstrated that the company had the opportunity to establish a global footprint of stores, which ultimately evolved into more than 17,000 stores in 59 countries worldwide. Today, Cliff Burrows, president, Starbucks U.S. & Americas, and Colin Moore, president, Starbucks Canada, along with City of Vancouver Deputy Mayor Tony Tang, joined Starbucks partners (employees), customers and the Vancouver community to commemorate the anniversary.
"Our early partners and Vancouver customers embraced Starbucks and what we stood for as a brand. It's incredibly rewarding to celebrate this milestone 25 years later and see how far we have come together," said Howard Schultz, Starbucks chairman, president and chief executive officer. "I want to thank our partners for their endless passion and the people of Vancouver for their support. We look forward to continuing to live up to our promise, one cup at a time, to provide the third place experience and community connection that our customers expect and deserve."
Including the iconic first Canadian Starbucks location at the Seabus Terminal, there are now 298 Starbucks stores in Vancouver and 1,146 stores across Canada, which has become the company's largest market outside the United States.
Celebrating Coast-to-Coast
To celebrate Starbucks Canada's 25th Anniversary, Starbucks will be offering customers across Canada a tall brewed coffee for 25 cents on June 12th from open to 11 a.m.at all retail and participating licensed store locations. No coupon required; the offer is one per customer.
Commemorating 25 Years in the Community
Starbucks story in Canada is not just about growth; it's also about giving back to the community. Today, to celebrate its 25th Anniversary in Canada, Starbucks is donating $25,000 towards the City of Vancouver's efforts to become the Greenest City in the world by 2020, supporting projects that turn empty lots and underutilized properties into thriving, accessible, green public spaces. Starbucks will work in collaboration with the City, the Vancouver Foundation and CityStudio to identify and fund local projects. As the first corporate donor to join this collaborative effort, Starbucks encourages other companies to participate in the redevelopment of under-used areas in the City of Vancouver.
"Starbucks has been a supporter of many local organizations in Vancouver that engage youth and help build community," said Vancouver Deputy Mayor Tang. "I am pleased that Starbucks is generously donating $25,000 and collaborating with CityStudio, the Vancouver Foundation and the City of Vancouver on our Greenest City initiatives to better connect people and neighbourhoods."
Across Canada, Starbucks has committed to contributing 50,000 hours of community service by 2015 as part of Starbucks global community service goal of contributing one million hours of service by 2015. In 2011, Starbucks Canada contributed more than 22,000 hours of community service through 160 service projects, and gifted $84,000 to NGOs across Canada in recognition of our partners' community service efforts.
"Community involvement is a core part of the Starbucks brand and creating local connections with the individual communities where we operate is vital," said Caroline Ternes, regional director of operations, western Canada, Starbucks Canada.
Since 2008 Starbucks has partnered with the Vancouver Foundation to help implement Starbucks Youth Action Grants and develop relationships with organizations that support and engage young people to take positive action in their local communities. Starbucks Canada has given $640,000 to organizations that encourage and work on youth engagement programs.
Sharing Moments of Community Connections
To celebrate 25 years of community connections, Starbucks Canada encouraged Vancouverites to share their Starbucks memories and moments by launching the Starbucks B.C. 25th Anniversary Tumblr site. More than 200 memories, photos and videos shared on the site capture the unique and individual impact of Starbucks on partners and customers.
About Starbucks Corporation
Since 1971, Starbucks Coffee Company has been committed to ethically sourcing and roasting the highest-quality arabica coffee in the world. Today, with stores around the globe, the company is the premier roaster and retailer of specialty coffee in the world. Through our unwavering commitment to excellence and our guiding principles, we bring the unique Starbucks Experience to life for every customer through every cup. To share in the experience, please visit us in our stores or online at www.starbucks.ca.
To view the stories shared by Vancouverites, visit: http://youtu.be/rda4VI4IJy4
Megan Spoore
Edelman
416-849-2841
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