Starbucks closes first store opened in Turkey

ISTANBUL

Coffee giant Starbucks has closed the shutters of its first store ever opened in Turkey, on the upscale Bağdat Avenue on Istanbul’s Asian side, daily Sözcü has reported.

An official from Starbucks Turkey said the coffee store in the Erenköy neighborhood was closed after 13 years due to physical limitations and infrastructure problems.

“Erenköy Starbucks was a store we loved very much and people happily went there. We tried so hard to stay in that store but the physical limitations of its environment and infrastructure did not give an opportunity to that. It also restricted the customer experience,” the official said, adding that renovation at the store was no longer eligible.

Starbucks does not have plans to open new stores in the area but it will continue to operate three other stores that were opened on Bağdat Avenue over the past year, the official said.

After opening its first coffee store in Seattle, Washington in 1971, Starbucks entered the Turkish market in 2003. Since then, the coffeehouse chain has been operating with over 300 stores in more than 20 provinces across Turkey. 

As of today, there are over 21,000 Starbucks stores in 65 countries.