Starbucks to Open its Largest Store in the World in Manhattan

By Keiko Morris 

Starbucks Corp. is planning to open its largest store in the world in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood, the company said Tuesday.

The Seattle-based coffee retailer will take 20,000 square feet at 61 Ninth Ave. for its second roastery, which the company describes as "coffee-as-theater." The opening is set for 2018, the company said.

The New York roastery will be modeled on Starbucks' first roastery in Seattle, where customers chat with roasters and baristas and learn about the company's sourcing and brewing of rare coffees. The Seattle roastery covers about 15,000 square feet; it opened in 2014.

The New York megastore will be just south of Chelsea Market in a 170,000-square-foot boutique office building being developed by Vornado Realty Trust and Aurora Capital Associates.

"In New York, we want to take elements from what we originally created and build something even bigger and bolder, celebrating coffee and craft in a completely unique and differentiated way," Howard Schultz, chairman and chief executive of Starbucks, said in a statement.

Starbucks,also has said it is looking to roll out the roastery concept in Asia.

Write to Keiko Morris at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

April 05, 2016 15:50 ET (19:50 GMT)

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