Food - Drink

Starbucks Stores In Kroger Are Changing In A Major Way

By WENDY LEIGH

It feels like Starbucks is always on the move, from adding new menu items to breaking into NFTs. The coffee chain has almost 9,000 stores in the U.S. alone, with many of these located in larger grocery stores such as Kroger, and changes are on the way for customers and employees who frequent these special Starbucks locations.

Due to the pandemic, Starbucks loyalty rewards and mobile orders have spiked in popularity, but many Starbucks "licensee" locations inside supermarkets and other stores do not offer these perks. Chief Marketing Officer Brady Brewer seeks to remedy this and equalize customer experiences, no matter where they pick up their drinks.

Most businesses licensed to serve Starbucks have not been privy to the company's rewards program. However, with updates to the Starbucks Connect program, customers will be able to redeem rewards points and order via the Starbucks app while shopping at Kroger, Publix, other retail stores, and even at Starbucks locations inside airports.

Roughly 1,400 licensees in North America had already implemented these Starbucks Connect updates prior to the company's official announcement. These retailers alone comprised about 12% of overall sales in Q3 of 2022, according to Brewer, and the company will likely only climb higher once these perks reach thousands of other licensed venues.

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