Areas USA has entered into a licensing partnership with Starbucks.
Areas said that the agreement supports an already successful international partnership between the two player and aligns with its US growth strategy. It described Starbucks as “the top global name in coffee”.
As reported, a US airport exclusivity agreement between HMSHost and Starbucks, which had run since 1991, recently ended. The F&B operator will continue to partner with Starbucks but said it wanted to “broaden its portfolio” of coffee brands. However, Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson recently told CNBC his company wanted “more opportunity to innovate and try different things”.
“We are thrilled to be entering this exciting partnership with Starbucks,” said Areas USA’s newly appointed CEO Carlos Bernal. “We are both equally committed to providing a unique experience that exceeds the expectations of our customers.”
Earlier this month, Starbucks also announced non-exclusive partnerships with OTG and Paradies Lagardère.
Areas currently operates in several of America’s busiest airports, and operates travel plazas on major highways. The roll-out plan is to provide the Starbucks experience at airports and in turnpike plazas across the US with an experience that is “customer-centric, innovative, and representative of the Starbucks brand”, Areas said.
In a precise mirroring of the company’s reaction to the earlier OTG and Paradies Lagardère agreements, Starbucks Senior National Account Executive – Travel Henry Klein said in a statement: “We know customers demand retailers innovate and work to meet their needs. Our partnership with Areas will allow us to expand our footprint and reach more customers across U.S. airports.
“We will also bring new innovations to the market and elevate the overall Starbucks experience for partners and customers. This includes new store concepts and digital capabilities that meet our customers where they are in their particular travel journey.”
Areas is one of the world leaders in food & beverage and travel retail, having generated US$2,074 million in revenue in 2018/2019. The group operates 1,928 outlets in 12 countries in Europe, the US, Mexico and Chile.
NOTE: The Moodie Davitt Report also publishes FAB, the world’s only media focused on airport (and other travel-related) food & beverage. The FAB Newsletter is published every two weeks and The FAB eZine every month.
Please send all news of food & beverage outlet openings, together with images, menus, video etc to Martin@MoodieDavittReport.com to ensure unrivalled global exposure.
The company also organises the annual Airport Food & Beverage (FAB) Conference & Awards. FAB 2020 will be held in Istanbul on 23 and 24 June. Istanbul Airport will host the event, which will be a celebration not only of the best in international airport dining but also of Turkish cuisine and culture. FAB 2020 will be supported strongly by Tum & Ictur, the concessionaire managing 34,000sq m of food & beverage space at Istanbul Airport.
