American multinational chain of coffee houses and roastery Starbucks has opened a branch in the seaside town of Muizenberg in Cape Town on Friday, but many locals are unhappy, claiming that local businesses will suffer.
According to online news publication The Africa Report, Starbucks South Africa has grown its portfolio from 16 outlets to 25 in locations including Johannesburg and Cape Town. Starbucks opened its doors for the first time in southern Africa in April 2016.
Muizenberg, which is synonymous with small locally owned businesses ranging from bakeries to coffee shops and ice-cream parlours that have been around for decades, is a booming emerging market which has seen significant growth in the last few years, mainly due to the popular “Surfers Corner”, which sees hundreds of surfers frequent the vicinity daily.
When it first emerged that Starbucks would be opening a branch in the area early this year, locals took to social media platforms such as community groups on Facebook to share their thoughts on the matter.
We look forward to developing the local employee base skill sets through the investment we make in training. Each barista is trained for upwards of three months, for example,” said Maizey.
He added that their menu attempts to cater to all customers of each South African community, tailoring coffee and non-coffee beverages for the diverse South African population.
Maizey said that their customers, who tend to be the younger generation, who drink their speciality non-coffee drinks, are particularly excited to have an offering tailored to them, complementing the existing offerings to the Muizenberg community.
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Source: IOL
