Subscribe to RSS
Travelers on their way to Geneva will be delighted to get the news that their favorite US coffee drinks and quick meals can now be savored on Swiss Rail. The national railway company (SBB), is partnering with Starbucks Corporation, a US-based coffee company, to provide travelling Starbucks stores on-board intercity express trains by the first half of 2013. The partnership will first offer Starbucks stores aboard two SBB Intercity trains between St Gallen and Geneva, Switzerland.
Jeannine Pilloud, SBB director of passenger transportation, said, ‘Starbucks is a perfect complement for our own range of services. We would hope to attract young guests and business travelers.’
The Starbucks stores on wheels will be adding to the restaurant services the Swiss rail company already provides to its passengers, and hope to expand the facilities and convenience of rail travel. The pilot project includes the redesign of the current onboard bistro and restaurant services of two ‘IC 2000’ double-decker trains into Starbucks stores. The design for the stores was co-developed by Starbucks and the rail company. The onboard Starbucks stores will be operated by a SBB subsidiary, Elvetino.
Rich Nelsen, the senior vice president for Starbucks EMEA (Europe, Middle-East, Africa’) said “Once again Switzerland is leading the way and planning a key role in innovating the Starbucks brand. It is here over ten years ago where we opened our first store in continental Europe, we purchase all of our coffee worldwide through our Lausanne trading centre and our coffee machines come from Switzerland.’
Starbucks Coffee Switzerland opened the first coffeehouse in Switzerland 11 years ago. The location right at Central (downtown Zurich) was also the first Starbucks Coffeehouse in continental Europe. Currently Starbucks operates 50
Coffeehouses, and has maintained close ties to Switzerland for many years. All the high-grade coffee machines used by Starbucks worldwide were developed exclusively for Starbucks and are manufactured by Thermoplan, a company located in Central Switzerland. In addition, the Starbucks Coffee Trading Company, which is in charge of the global coffee purchasing process, is based in Laussane Coffeehouses.
Bonnie Carroll
http://www.lifebitesnews.com
