Starbucks Trials New 'Independent Café'

US coffee-shop operator Starbucks is trialling a new store format as it looks to draw back customers following a sharp decline in footfall. The new pilot store in Seattle does not feature the Starbucks name, instead being bannered 15th Avenue Coffee & Tea, a reference to the outlet's street address. The shop will also break with the Starbucks format by selling alcohol, operating late opening hours and and hosting live music and poetry readings. The concept seems to represent recognition that Starbucks in the US has lost touch with its core clientele - upwardly mobile young professionals. However, whether this

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