Starbucks abandons Teavana tea bar concept for classic stores
Starbucks announced plans to drop the stagnating experiment of Teavana tea bars meant to emulate the success of their coffee houses. The company, which planned hundreds of such locations just a few years ago, has now seemingly abandoned the idea of standalone tea bars due to their poor performance, but vowed to expand the to-go tea offer in Starbucks locations nationwide. Three Teavana Tea Bar outlets in New York City will be converted to Starbucks this spring, whereas the one in Beverly Hills, CA will be permanently closed. A fifth location in Seattle will remain open as a testing ground for new concepts. The move highlights Starbucks' challenge of promoting its smaller brands, with 23 stand-alone cafes of La Boulange having been closed last year.