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After holding most prices steady for the last four years, Starbucks has
room to charge more without driving away its legions of loyal customers,
analysts say.
Alternately derided and praised for building a $5 billion annual
business by transforming coffee from a 50-cent daily staple into a $3
treat, Starbucks Corp. has let its prices slip below many of its
competitors.
"Starbucks premium prices have long been the punch line in more than a
few jokes," CIBC World Markets analyst John Glass wrote in a report to
clients. "After several years of pricing abstention, the joke is on the
competition."
Last week Seattle-based Starbucks said it expected to raise prices some
time in the coming fiscal year, beginning October 4.
Glass's informal study of nine different companies serving coffee and
blended drinks in eight cities found Starbucks is often the cheapest cup
of regular coffee in town.
When it comes to blended, iced drinks, Starbucks' 24-ounce Frappuccino
at $3.60 was 30 percent cheaper than similar drinks at specialty cafes
like Tully's Coffee Corp. or Peet's Coffee and Tea Inc., though doughnut
shops often sold lattes for less than Starbucks, Glass found.
That leaves room for Starbucks to boost sales and profits, or at least
reduce the impact of rising prices for milk, labor and wholesale coffee
beans, by raising its store prices.
"Going four years without taking a price increase is pretty
remarkable," said analyst Dan Geiman at McAdams Wright Ragen. "There are a
number of devotees that will still certainly favor Starbucks over 'Brand
X'."
The company raised its prices by about 3 percent in 2000, following
similar increases in 1994, 1997 and 1999, and another hike is due, Glass
said.
Starbucks has made great strides in recent years toward shortening
customer waits in long lines and offering new products and services to
boost transactions at its worldwide chain of more than 8,000 cafes.
A price hike now would accelerate growth with minimal negative
feedback, Glass said.
"The one ill side effect from a price increase at Starbucks that we've
been able to identify historically has been publicity. We know of no other
chain where a modest price increase is front page news. But it is
typically for Starbucks," Glass said
(agencies) |
分析家們表示，星巴克咖啡店絕大部分商品的價格在保持四年不變之后有了提價的空間，這樣做也不會趕走大批忠實的老顧客。
星巴克將咖啡從50美分的日常飲品改變成3美元的美味佳品，并成為一個年盈利50億美元的企業(yè)，人們對這樣的做法時而嘲諷時而贊揚，然而星巴克的價位總是低于很多競爭者。
CIBC投資銀行的分析家約翰·格拉斯在給客戶的一份報告中寫道：“星巴克漲價一直都是不少笑話里的俏皮話。經(jīng)過幾年的限價戰(zhàn)略后，這個笑話現(xiàn)在受到了挑戰(zhàn)?！?
上周，總部位于西雅圖的星巴克表示計劃在10月4日開始的新的財政年度里提高價格。
格拉斯分別對八座城市中的九家提供咖啡和混合飲料的公司進行了非正式研究，研究發(fā)現(xiàn)星巴克的普通咖啡的價格通常是城里最便宜的。
關(guān)于混合飲料和冰凍飲料，格拉斯發(fā)現(xiàn)，在星巴克，24盎司的法布奇諾冰咖啡的售價為3.60美元，比Tully's Coffee和Peet's
Coffee and Tea Inc等咖啡專賣店中出售的類似飲料便宜30% ，盡管小吃店里出售的拿鐵（意大利香奶咖啡）的售價通常比星巴克更便宜。
這為星巴克的促銷增利留出了余地，至少它能通過提高店面售價來減輕牛奶、人工和批發(fā)咖啡豆?jié)q價帶來的沖擊。
西雅圖McAdams Wright
Ragen經(jīng)紀公司的分析師丹·海曼說：“（星巴克）堅持四年沒漲價確實很不一般。無疑將有許多（咖啡）愛好者依舊偏愛星巴克，而不是別的品牌?！?
格拉斯說，2000年，星巴克將價格提高了3%左右，繼1994、1997和1999年的類似增幅后，（現(xiàn)在）是時候再次提價了。
近年來，為了促進全世界8000多家咖啡連鎖店的生意，星巴克在縮短顧客排隊等候時間和推出新產(chǎn)品和服務(wù)方面大有進步。
格拉斯說，（星巴克）現(xiàn)在漲價能在負面影響最小的情況下加速發(fā)展。
格拉斯說；“正如我們早就意識的那樣，漲價給星巴克帶來的一個不好的副作用就是它會吸引公眾的注意。我們知道，任何其他連鎖店的適度提價都不會成為頭條新聞，但對星巴克來說，適度提價就有可能成為頭條新聞?！?
（中國日報網(wǎng)站譯） |
Updated: 2004-08-09 14:20
