Starbucks

Starbucks has finally come to Hungary, and the first Starbucks was opened in WestEnd Citycenter by the Nyugati trainstation in the early autumn 2010. The shoppingcenter is big, and Starbucks is not located where most coffee shops are in the mall. To find it just enter into WestEnd using the main entrance (at ground floor), and you will find Starbucks at your left side after approximately 30metres.

The second Starbucks was opened in Budapest December 2010, and it is located in the Mammut Shoppingcenter. The third Starbucks is located on the corner of the Grand Boulevard and Király utca.

Since then three more Starbucks have opened in Budapest in 2011, so you can now also find Starbucks in Arena Plaza, next to the Saint Stephens Basilica and at Széna Tér, next to Moszkva Tér.

Starbucks Budapest
WestEnd Citycenter – 1062 Budapest, Váci út 1-3
Mammut – 1024 Budapest, Lövőház utca 2-6
Király Utca – 1073 Budapest, Erzsébet krt. 53.
Arena Plaza – 1087 Budapest, Kerepesi út. 9.
Széna Tér – 1024 Budapest, Margit krt. 91.
Saint Stephens Basilica – 1054 Budapest, Hercegprímás u. 7.

Starbucks pictures

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Old news and information about Starbucks (from the period before it came to Hungary)

Update 1: We are still hoping, but due to the financial crisis it seems as if Starbucks will not come to Budapest in 2009 either

Update 2: Today many newspapers that Starbucks will open in West End Citycenter in Budapest by the end of 2010. (May 6, 2010)

About Starbucks from Wikipedia:

Starbucks Corporation is an international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington, USA. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 16,120 stores in 94 countries. Starbucks sells drip brewed coffee, espresso-based hot drinks, other hot and cold drinks, snacks, and items such as mugs and coffee beans. Through the Starbucks Entertainment division and Hear Music brand, the company also markets books, music, and film. Many of the company’s products are seasonal or specific to the locality of the store. Starbucks-brand ice cream and coffee are also sold at grocery stores.

From Starbucks’ founding in Seattle as a local coffee bean roaster and retailer, the company has expanded rapidly. In the 1990s, Starbucks was opening a new store every workday, a pace that continued into the 2000s. Domestic growth has since slowed, although the company continues to expand in foreign markets and will open a net of 900 new stores outside of the U.S. in 2009. The first location outside of the United States and Canada was established in 1990s, and they now constitute almost one third of Starbucks’ stores.

By late March 2008, Starbucks had more than 16,226 stores worldwide, including 11,434 stores located in the United States. On July 1, 2008, the company announced it was closing 600 under-performing company-owned stores and cutting U.S. expansion plans amid growing economic uncertainty. On July 29, 2008, Starbucks also cut almost 1,000 non-retail jobs as part of its bid to re-energize the brand and boost its profit. Of the new cuts, 550 of the positions are layoffs and the rest are unfilled jobs. These closings and layoffs have effectively ended the company’s period of growth and expansion that began in the mid-1990s.

On January 28, 2009, Starbucks announced the closure of an additional 300 under-performing stores, and the elimination of 7,000 positions. CEO Howard Schultz also announced that he had received board approval to reduce his salary to $10,000 per year.