Rome, Italy finally has a Starbucks. Where is Rome's first Starbucks?

Starbucks is the world's largest coffee chain, with more than 36000 stores in more than 80 countries and regions. But Starbucks has struggled with Italy, the birthplace of espresso.

According to the latest news report from foreign media Bellezze di Roma, Starbucks will open a store in a three-story shop in Piazza Montecitorio in downtown Rome, opposite the Italian parliament building. Starbucks-related billboards have been installed on the periphery of the store and are expected to open in April.

This is five years after Starbucks entered the Italian market in 2018, Starbucks finally opened its stores in the Italian capital Rome. Starbucks entered the Italian market relatively late. On September 6, 2018, the first Starbucks in Italy opened in Piazaa Cordusio Square in the center of Milan. This time, Starbucks is also full of confidence, opening its first store in Italy is the "selection Bakery" (only four in the world, in Seattle, Shanghai, Milan and New York). In the same year, the number of Starbucks stores in China increased by 585. After the successful opening of the Milan bakery, Starbucks is also following the expansion of its stores in major Italian cities. The Starbucks store to be opened in Piazza Montecito is not technically the first store in Rome, but the second branch. The first OUTLETS store in Rome will officially open in Castel Romano Designer Outlet (Starbucks Mall) on April 5, 2022. Although the store claims to be Starbucks' first store in Rome, Castel Romano is located in the southern suburbs of Rome, 30-40 minutes' drive from the center of the city. It is equivalent to Starbucks being stationed on the outskirts of Rome. Only when the second store in the city center is completed can it be regarded as stationed in the city. Italy is a big coffee country, with a coffee market of 7 billion US dollars and a per capita consumption of 5.8kg coffee beans every year. In contrast, Italy is also one of the countries with the largest number of coffee shops in the world, including many century-old brands. In the face of such a saturated market and Italian fondness for espresso, when Starbucks officially entered Italy, outsiders were not optimistic about it. For example, after the Milan roaster opened, Georgia Meloni, then an Italian member of Parliament and chairman of the Brotherhood Party, wrote on the social platform, "I don't understand. Our Italian coffee is the envy of the world. Why do people still drink Starbucks drinks?" "

After the opening of the Starbucks Milan store, Massimiliano Dona, then president of the Italian National Consumer Association, said: "We welcome Starbucks to Italy, where the competition is fierce," UNC reported. Unfortunately, the price of 1.8 euros for a cup of espresso is obviously exaggerated, almost 80% higher than the average price in Milan. "

According to the latest commodity price data from the Ministry of Economic Development, the average price of an espresso in Milan is 1 euro, and the most expensive is only 1.1 euros. The price of 4.5 euros of cappuccino is even more outrageous. Milan's average price is only 1.34 euros, with the highest price of 1.6 euros. " Although Starbucks faces great challenges in the Italian market, Starbucks is still actively expanding to capture the stock market. After the OUTLETS store opened, many people went to spend money.

Currently, Starbucks has opened more than 25 stores in Italy. And stores in Italy have launched a coffee with olive oil called "Oleato", which shows that Starbucks attaches great importance to the Italian market.