Starbucks Reinvents the Customer Experience in the Prestigious Carrousel du Louvre

New store designed to illustrate Starbucks global design strategy by amplifying coffee heritage, integrating with local architecture and reducing impact on the environment

Paris – – Starbucks Coffee France SAS announced the opening of its 58th store in France in the renowned Carrousel du Louvre on January 27, 2011. The company opened its first coffeehouse in Paris in January 2004 and now has locations in Paris, Lyon and Marseille.

“As we celebrate our 7th anniversary in France, we are proud to open this unique store in a setting as prestigious as the Carrousel du Louvre, the retail center which adjoins one of the most famous museums in the world. The store’s exceptional design makes it unique and welcoming in this remarkable location in the center of Paris,” said Thierry Fourez, development director for Starbucks Coffee France. “Over the past seven years we have made great strides in becoming a local player in France and we are proud to present this new store concept which is designed to meet the needs of our customers while reflecting the character of this exceptional environment,” continued Fourez.

Starbucks opened its first European concept store at Paris Disney in June 2009. The Carrousel du Louvre store reflects the richness of local culture, while reducing the impact to the environment:

* The wooden wall covering is made from champagne racks reclaimed from the French wine industry
* The café chairs and tables were found in French flea markets and given new life by local craftsmen
* The wood used for the bar and community table-top is naturally treated, locally-supplied French oak
* The coffee mills were found in French flea markets and are used as design elements to communicate Starbucks coffee heritage
* Burlap bags used as wall covering were reclaimed from one of Starbucks roasting plants
* Low-flow faucets help conserve water and energy
* The majority of waste resulting from the construction was reused or recycled
* Paints are natural, water-based and chemical free
* The store was built following LEED® construction guidelines

“The extraordinary location in the Carrousel du Louvre, demanded a design that would exemplify our approach to creating a better customer experience by bringing our coffee heritage to the forefront, reducing our environmental impact and reflecting the character of this location through architectural and design integration, all part of Starbucks new store design strategy. Specifically, we have primarily used local and reclaimed materials, we have worked closely with French artists and craftsmen and we have integrated energy saving technology to create an environment that is unique and relevant for our customers in France,” said Liz Muller, concept design director, Starbucks Coffee Company.

Starbucks is working to strengthen its customer’s sense of community around the world through unique store design, reduced impact on the planet and an elevated coffee experience.

The Carrousel du Louvre store measures 180 square meters on two levels with a mezzanine and 50 seated places. It will be open to the public every day from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week.

* LEED® is an international certification system which evaluates the performance of a building or a community as regards a certain number of criteria : energy efficiency, water consumption, reduction of CO2, gases, interior environmental quality, economy of resources and awareness of their impact.
For more information visit www.usgbc.org.



Starbucks Coffee France opened its first coffee shop in Paris near the Opéra in January 2004. Today Starbucks employs nearly 1,000 people of 58 nationalities and served nearly 10 million customers in 2010. Starbucks Coffee France now has 58 coffee houses, 40 in Paris, 14 in the Paris region (Boulogne, Puteaux, La Défense, Courbevoie, Vélizy, Thiais, Versailles, Serris, Disney Village Marne la Vallée, CDG1), three in the Lyon region (Lyon and Villeurbanne) and one in Marseille. For more information, visit
www.starbucks.com