First Smoothies, now Sorbetto?

This summer, Starbucks launched a Smoothie campaign to reach out to consumers wanting a healthy drink choice. More recently, the coffee conglomerate announced 600+ stores would be closing nationwide. Yesterday, Starbucks rolled out Sorbetto – an idea formed from customer research and (!) a trip to Italy. Sorbetto is available in Los Angeles and Orange County, CA. Starbucks it seems, is facing a fundamental problem: “Starbucks is a mass brand attempting to command a premium price for an experience that is no longer special.” (John Quelch, Working Knowledge, 7/9/08).