Starbucks relocates Teavana HQ to Seattle
Starbucks decided to move the headquarters of Teavana from Atlanta, GA to its hometown of Seattle, WA. The relocation will affect 99 employees, who will either move to the Starbucks building in Seattle's SoDo neighborhood starting October 1 or in a year or two. Some positions will be eliminated, so layoffs are also expected. According to Teavana's president, a key challenge will be to retain Teavana's brand identity within a building used to house a coffee company until now. Apart from the relocation, Teavana is also focused on expansion into the grocery category and is exploring the Chinese market, where Starbucks already has a major presence.