Franchise Bits

We get a lot of emails about potential franchises that people would like to know more about, and one of those most frequently asked about is “Starbucks”.

A quick jump to the Starbucks FAQ section of their website reveals the answer to the age old question: “Can you own a Starbucks Franchise”?

Here’s the official word from the company:

Starbucks does not franchise operations and has no plans to franchise in the foreseeable future.

In North America, the majority of our stores are Company-operated. As an exception, Starbucks may enter into licensing arrangements with companies who provide access to real estate which would otherwise be unavailable such as airport locations, national grocery chains, major food services corporations, college and university campuses and hospitals.

For international business development opportunities please refer to the International Development section of this Web site.

So, I’m sad to say, its just not possible to own a “Starbucks” franchise at this time, unless you happen to own an airpot, college, or hospital of some kind…if you do, good luck, if not, you might want to look into other coffee related business franchise opportunities.

Franchise news reports that in a lawsuit that pits a David vs. Goliath battle of mom-and-pop store operators against the retail giant that is Sears, a group of store owns Monday sued the chain, claiming its acquisition by Kmart has created unfair competition by making its products available at Kmart and other stores.

The DSOA (Dealer Store Owners Association) which represents more than 200 Sears stores filed suite against Sears Roebuck & Co. in Minneapolis federal court this week.

“Most dealers invested their life savings and 401(k) plans in these stores,” the group’s president, Steve Granger, said. “Now they risk losing it all. … This is hardly the way to build trust in a brand name.”

Sears responded, “It’s true that you can now find Sears brands like Kenmore and Craftsman at Kmart stores. In all likelihood, the combination of Sears Holdings is putting a lot of emphasis on popularizing these brands,” said Kurt Barnard, president of Retail Forecasting Group. “I don’t know to what extent this might impinge or inflict loss of market share to the dealers.”

How will this news affect Sears retail outlets in the near future? It’s uncertain, but we’ll be on the lookout for future updates.