Starbucks Ne Séduit Pas Les Français

ntessentially French as it gets. Starbucks' bright, upbeat image, with its large white paper cups of takeout brew, big sticky snacks, and no-smoking policy, feels a million miles away.

The French, for all their love of cutting-edge clothes, food, and film, are a very conservative people with deeply held traditions.

NO CULTURE. One wonders why Starbucks, which counts more than 11,000 stores worldwide, is bothering with France in the face of such high operating costs and cultural resistance. "It's partly about brand building in areas of high tourist traffic," says Jeffrey Young, managing director of London-based

By Rachel Tiplady, businessweek, april 20, 2006