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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) |
分析家们表示，星巴克咖啡店绝大部分商品的价格在保持四年不变之后有了提价的空间，这样做也不会赶走大批忠实的老顾客。
星巴克将咖啡从50美分的日常饮品改变成3美元的美味佳品，并成为一个年盈利50亿美元的企业，人们对这样的做法时而嘲讽时而赞扬，然而星巴克的价位总是低于很多竞争者。
CIBC投资银行的分析家约翰·格拉斯在给客户的一份报告中写道：“星巴克涨价一直都是不少笑话里的俏皮话。经过几年的限价战略后，这个笑话现在受到了挑战。”
上周，总部位于西雅图的星巴克表示计划在10月4日开始的新的财政年度里提高价格。
格拉斯分别对八座城市中的九家提供咖啡和混合饮料的公司进行了非正式研究，研究发现星巴克的普通咖啡的价格通常是城里最便宜的。
关于混合饮料和冰冻饮料，格拉斯发现，在星巴克，24盎司的法布奇诺冰咖啡的售价为3.60美元，比Tully's Coffee和Peet's
Coffee and Tea Inc等咖啡专卖店中出售的类似饮料便宜30% ，尽管小吃店里出售的拿铁（意大利香奶咖啡）的售价通常比星巴克更便宜。
这为星巴克的促销增利留出了余地，至少它能通过提高店面售价来减轻牛奶、人工和批发咖啡豆涨价带来的冲击。
西雅图McAdams Wright
Ragen经纪公司的分析师丹·海曼说：“（星巴克）坚持四年没涨价确实很不一般。无疑将有许多（咖啡）爱好者依旧偏爱星巴克，而不是别的品牌。”
格拉斯说，2000年，星巴克将价格提高了3%左右，继1994、1997和1999年的类似增幅后，（现在）是时候再次提价了。
近年来，为了促进全世界8000多家咖啡连锁店的生意，星巴克在缩短顾客排队等候时间和推出新产品和服务方面大有进步。
格拉斯说，（星巴克）现在涨价能在负面影响最小的情况下加速发展。
格拉斯说；“正如我们早就意识的那样，涨价给星巴克带来的一个不好的副作用就是它会吸引公众的注意。我们知道，任何其他连锁店的适度提价都不会成为头条新闻，但对星巴克来说，适度提价就有可能成为头条新闻。”
（中国日报网站译） |
Updated: 2004-07-29 15:02
