Starbucks: 14,000 Stores in 43 Countries and Still Growing 星巴克傳奇
by Luke Dodds
Chances are you've enjoyed a cup of coffee from Starbucks. Since the opening of the first Starbucks in 1971 as a vendor of high-quality coffee beans and brewing equipment, the company has expanded to become the most popular coffeehouse chain in the world. Its 14,000 stores in 43 countries sell coffee beverages, beans, teas, brewing equipment, pastries, and more. How did this happen?
Starbucks Chairman Howard Schultz took over the company in 1987. He recognized an untapped market in busy individuals in urban areas who could afford fine coffees. In 1995, Schultz hired Anna Niess and Will Chassaing to redesign his booming chain. In addition to laying the groundwork for Starbucks' well-known symbols and distinctive style, they created a program that led to opening one store per day throughout the 1990s.
One thing that makes Starbucks so popular is the company's vision of their stores as a "third place" to spend time in addition to work and home. It's a cozy environment that serves as a meeting place. This attracts a loyal following of customers that come not only to drink coffee, but to relax, work, socialize, and attend cultural events.
Schultz still sees a great deal of potential for his company. Starbucks plans to have 40,000 stores worldwide with 20,000 in the US and Canada. Starbucks is not always welcomed with open arms, of course. The store located inside Beijing's Forbidden City was finally closed in July 2007 due to protests that it was trampling on Chinese culture. Despite this setback, the company has been a huge success and is now a household name around the world.
單字小鋪
1. vendor n. 攤販
2. brewing a. 烹煮的;釀造的
brew vt. 煮,泡(茶、咖啡)
3. expand vi. 擴(kuò)張
4. chain n. 連鎖店
5. beverage n. 飲料
6. pastry n. 糕餅
7. untapped a.(資源、市場(chǎng)等)未開發(fā)的
8. urban a. 城市的
rural a. 農(nóng)村的
9. distinctive a. 有特色的
10. vision n. 先見,洞察力
11. cozy a. 舒適的
12. following n. 一批支持者
13. potential n. 潛力,潛能 & a. 有潛力的
14. protest n. 抗議
15. setback n. 挫折
詞組小鋪
1. can/cannot afford + N/to V 負(fù)擔(dān)得起∕不起……
2. in addition to + N/V-ing 除了……之外
= besides + N/V-ing
3. lead to + N/V-ing 導(dǎo)致∕造成……
原來(lái)如此
1. Chances are + (that) 子句 有……的可能
= It is likely + that 子句
例: Chances are that Tommy will win the speech competition again.
(湯米很有可能再度贏得演講比賽。)
2. take over... 接管……
例: I took over the club after Rachel decided to quit.
(瑞秋決定辭職后,我接管了這個(gè)俱樂部。)
3. booming a. 蓬勃發(fā)展的
boom vi. 繁榮,蓬勃發(fā)展
例: Our town is booming. We've doubled in size in the last ten years.
(我們的小鎮(zhèn)蓬勃發(fā)展。過(guò)去十年來(lái)規(guī)模拓展了一倍。)
4. lay the groundwork for... 為……奠定基礎(chǔ)
groundwork n. 基礎(chǔ),根基
例: Mr. Lee is trying to lay the groundwork for our future education in this class.
(李老師試著為我們班的未來(lái)教育打下基礎(chǔ)。)
5. serve as... 用來(lái)作為……;當(dāng)作……
= function as...
例: For me, playing basketball serves as a way to relax.
(對(duì)我來(lái)說(shuō),打籃球是放松的一種方式。)
6. socialize vi. 交際;社交
socialize with... 與……來(lái)往∕交際
例: The old man hates to socialize with his neighbors.
(那位老先生很討厭和自己的鄰居來(lái)往。)
7. welcome sb with open arms 熱烈歡迎某人
例: My old boss welcomed me with open arms when I returned to the company.
(當(dāng)我回公司時(shí),以前的老板張開雙臂歡迎我。)
8. trample vi. 蹂躪;傷害
trample on... 蹂躪∕傷害……
例: Tom said his ex-girlfriend trampled on his feelings and was never kind.
(湯姆說(shuō)前女友踐踏他的感情,從沒對(duì)他好過(guò)。)
9. be a household name 家喻戶曉的人∕物
例: Nike is now a household name around the world.
(耐吉現(xiàn)在是全球家喻戶曉的品牌。)
中文翻譯
你可能曾經(jīng)享用過(guò)一杯星巴克的咖啡。自從第一家星巴克于 1971 年以小販的型態(tài)開始販賣優(yōu)質(zhì)咖啡豆與滴濾器具至今,星巴克已擴(kuò)展成全球最受歡迎的連鎖咖啡廳,在 43 個(gè)國(guó)家共一萬(wàn)四千間分店中販賣咖啡飲品、咖啡豆、茶、滴濾式咖啡機(jī)、糕餅及其它產(chǎn)品。這一切是怎么發(fā)生的呢?
星巴克董事長(zhǎng)霍華?蕭茲在 1987 年接管了這家公司。他在喝得起優(yōu)質(zhì)咖啡的忙碌都市人中,發(fā)現(xiàn)了一個(gè)未開發(fā)的市場(chǎng)。1995 年,蕭茲聘請(qǐng)安娜?尼絲與威爾?查薩英為這間蓬勃發(fā)展的連鎖店重新設(shè)計(jì)風(fēng)格。除了為星巴克著名的標(biāo)志與特色奠定基礎(chǔ)之外,他們還創(chuàng)造出一套方案,使他們?cè)?1990 年代每一天就開一家新分店。
讓星巴克如此受歡迎的原因之一在于,它將自己定位為工作與家庭之外,第三個(gè)消磨時(shí)間的地方。它環(huán)境舒適,是聚會(huì)的好去處。這吸引了一群忠實(shí)的老主顧,不只為喝咖啡而來(lái),也為了放松、工作、社交或參加文化活動(dòng)而來(lái)。
蕭茲仍然看見公司有許多潛力。星巴克計(jì)劃在全球開設(shè)四萬(wàn)家分店,其中兩萬(wàn)家在美國(guó)與加拿大。當(dāng)然,并不是所有人都張開雙臂歡迎星巴克。位在北京紫禁城內(nèi)的星巴克,就因破壞中華文化的反對(duì)聲浪于 2007 年 7 月關(guān)門大吉。盡管受到這波挫折,星巴克還是極為成功,成為全球家喻戶曉的品牌。