Starbucks Opening Two New Locations To Boost Minority Business

Starbucks announced that it will open stores in Dallas, Texas and Trenton, New Jersey as part of its program to invest in at least 15 underserved communities across the nation by 2018.

According to Chain Store Age, the store in Dallas will open in spring 2018, while the one in Trenton will open later this year. Starbucks has opened six similar stores so far, including in Ferguson, Missouri, central Phoenix, and East Baltimore.

In Dallas, Starbucks will join the ongoing redevelopment of the iconic Red Bird shopping district. The company will work with local women- and minority- owned contractors for the construction of the store, and is researching minority owned suppliers in southern Dallas for a locally sourced product to feature in the café.

The Dallas location will also be the first in the city to have a unique in-store training space. Working with a local nonprofit organization, Starbucks will provide local youth with a free multi-week job skills training program based on the Starbucks customer service curriculum. The room will also be available for local groups to use for meetings.

The Trenton location will have a similar approach, with Starbucks evaluating local minority-owned vendors in the community to supply product for the store, and nonprofit organizations in the community to support its in-store job training program opportunity for youth.