How Many Starbucks Are There in Europe?

Have you ever wondered how many Starbucks are there in Europe? This Review will help you understand why Starbucks failed in Europe and how many Starbucks are in Europe.

There are only 2700 Starbucks in Europe. During summer, I planned to travel to Europe with my friends for an adventure. I also aimed to enjoy Starbucks’ favorite food in each city, as I love exploring different food offered by Starbucks in other countries.

However, I was shocked by the few Starbucks shops currently available in Europe, considering that Europe is big and has less than three thousand stores. I later learned why Starbucks is not doing well in Europe, and I will share with you some of the reasons why it failed to succeed in Europe and its main competitor in business.

Table of Contents

Why did Starbucks fail in Europe?

Starbucks’ failure in Europe has been attributed to the reality that its system was less appealing to the European culture. Starbucks failed in Europe for many reasons, but European culture is the top reason. Many European countries have intimate relationships with coffee. Companies and local stores in these countries offer coffee that suits customers by culture. When Starbucks became popular in Europe, customers expected a different taste, customer service, and branding. However, Starbucks offered nothing unique that matched the culture.

Additionally, local coffee stores fit customers’ needs better because they understand the culture better than Starbucks. While local shops and other companies like Mc Donald offered lower prices on products that fit the culture of Europeans, Starbucks offered expensive products that failed to meet the cultural expectations of customers. Other reasons including;

Starbucks’ service quality did not meet many European people‘s expectations. As Starbucks grew faster, there was a high demand for employees, including a barista. It led to employing baristas who were not as qualified. These baristas could not offer quality services compared to those in competing companies. Eventually, the quality of services could not compare to Starbucks’ previous services and services in other companies.
Starbucks ironically failed to apply simple international marketing rules in Europe. Starbucks used its business model that worked in the United States to Europe without noticing that there is no cultural homogeneity in Europe.
Starbucks’s expansion speed was faster than the speed of the public regarding accepting Starbucks and getting used to it. Starbucks’ excitement about expanding into Europe messed up its strategy. Unlike in the US, where it started slowly and grew on public demand, in Europe, Starbucks was more focused on expanding faster without paying attention to the percentage of the general market. The public had little time to discover and yearn for a more Starbucks culture.
Starbucks was the coach in the US, while in Europe, Starbucks was simply a player like other companies. Starbucks got to Europe, where there was competition from companies like McDonald’s and Costa Coffee. The competition was tougher because local brands had already created a reputation and excellent customer relationships.
The Starbucks culture of communicating their brand failed to fit in and be ahead in the competition in European countries. Starbucks’ culture of sharing its brand relies on customers and their satisfaction. However, there was too much European competition to rely on customers’ experience communicating Starbucks’s brand. Advertising and Brand promotion in such a competitive market are essential, but Starbucks failed to embrace this reality.
Starbucks’ business model made customers associate it with coffee alone, making it unsustainable. Starbucks’ popularity in Europe is about because of its coffee and the Starbucks business model. Customers in Europe would associate Starbucks with coffee and buy food somewhere else. The product line of competing companies like McDonald’s is not limited to coffee, like Starbucks, making them a step ahead.

Which company is Starbucks’ main competitor in Europe?

McDonald’s is the leading company that competes with Starbucks in Europe. McDonald’s is older than Starbucks in Europe. It was Set up in the Netherlands in 1971, while Starbucks was set up in London 27 years later. It means McDonald’s has become a more popular brand in Europe earlier than Starbucks. It puts McDonald’s at the upper hand compared to Starbucks, making it one of its competitive advantage.

McDonald’s has 6000 stores in Europe, while Starbucks only has up to 2700 in Europe. McDonald’s restaurants are set in 39 countries. Also, McDonald’s has set up more than 1200 restaurants in the United Kingdom, while Starbucks has below 1000 stores in the United Kingdom. Therefore McDonald’s is more popular than Starbucks in Europe. It means that McDonald’s is the biggest competitor of Starbucks in Europe.

European countries with the most Starbucks locations.

which countries have the most number of Starbucks locations in Europe

The United Kingdom has the highest number of Starbucks stores, 748, in Europe. After the United Kingdom, Turkey comes second with 536 Starbucks stores. Third in position is France, with 187 Starbucks stores as of 2021. There are more than 2700 but less than 3000 Starbucks in Europe. The table below shows the countries with the highest number of Starbucks in Europe.

Country	Number of Starbucks
United Kingdom	748
Turkey	536
France	187
Germany	160
Russia	131
Spain	101

FAQ Section

Is there a Starbucks across all of Europe?

No, some countries in Europe do not have Starbucks. They include Croatia, the Baltic states, and Slovenia.

Which European country has no Starbucks?

There are only five countries in Europe that do not have Starbucks. The countries include Estonia, Croatia, Slovenia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

What is the busiest Starbucks location in Europe?

The United Kingdom is the busiest Starbucks location in Europe. It is the European country with the highest number of Starbucks stores at 748 stores in 2021.