… the purpose of the Juan Valdez stores isn’t to compete with Starbucks. It’s to promote Colombian coffee and the Juan Valdez brand. The CEO said it himself, they don’t want to compete with Starbucks. Just keep stopping by there and enjoy it.

That’s hogwash. Central Park is just about the only place in Manhattan where you can be more than 3 blocks from a Starbucks. If you build a cafe on Manhattan, then you’re implicitly competing with Starbucks. Perhaps not financially - But if you don’t deliver better coffee or a better customer experience, then you are just establishing your coffee and your brand as a second rate product.

1 Nov: Juan Valdez Tridux