Starbucks’ arrival in Rome follows months of rumours.
Starbucks is preparing to open a new outlet opposite the Italian parliament in central Rome, as the American multinational coffee chain continues to expand in Italy.
The arrival of Starbucks in the historic centre of the Italian capital is heralded with a “Coming Soon” sign on the three-storey building in Piazza Montecitorio, reports newspaper La Repubblica.
The venue, formerly a bar-restaurant, is just steps away from the chamber of deputies or the lower house of the Italian parliament.
Works are currently underway to refurbish the building, with the new outlet set to open by the end of April according to Italian news reports.
The building’s façade boasts a Starbucks advert with a picture of two women sipping coffee alongside a message, in Italian, that says: “Like being among friends”.
The news comes after recent rumours of a possible Starbucks opening in Galleria Alberto Sordi, a well-known shopping mall on the central Via del Corso currently undergoing major renovations.
The rumour was fuelled by an advert by Percassi, the sole licensee partner with Starbucks in Italy, which read: “Starbucks continues to grow and one of its next stops will be in Rome, where we will soon open a new welcoming store in the centre.”
Starbucks had sought baristas and managers for both the new outlet in the city centre as well as at its first outlet in the greater Rome area, at the Castel Romano shopping mall, where it launched in April 2022.
In September La Repubblica newspaper reported that Starbucks was planning to open a 600-m outlet near Rome’s Termini station, with an eye on the tourists and pilgrims set to arrive in Rome for the Vatican’s Jubilee Year in 2025.
The chain had intended to launch near the Vatican in 2020, at the former Maraldi bookshop on Via dei Bastioni di Michelangelo, however this plan was reportedly abandoned due to the covid pandemic.
- The history of coffee culture in Italy
There were also rumours that Starbucks would open in Rome’s central Piazza S. Silvestro – another high-density tourist area – in the Palazzo Marignoli building that houses the new flagship Apple store.
Starbucks launched in Italy in 2018, opening at Piazza Cordusio in Milan, and in October 2021 it announced plans to open more than 20 new stores in Italy by the end of 2023.
The company made international headlines in February when it launched the new Starbucks “Oleato” range of olive oil-infused coffee drinks in Italy.
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