ATLANTA, Ga – Teavana will relocate to Seattle beginning in October.
The move was announced by Annie Young-Scrivner, Starbucks executive vice president and president Teavana, a position she assumed in February.
“As we seek to scale our tea expertise to support our global tea ambition, we have decided to move our Teavana headquarters, which currently employs 99 partners, from Atlanta to Seattle in order to more effectively leverage the talent and capabilities across our global business.,” said Young-Scrivner.
“What first drew us to Teavana was the company’s unmatched knowledge and authority around all things tea,” she said. “This coupled with broader, more immediate access to the diverse talent and unique capabilities across the Seattle-based Support Center will enhance our ability to innovate in the tea category, up-level the customer experience and deliver growth for this critical business to the company,” said Young-Scrivner.
Starbucks acquired 300-store Teavana in November 2012 for $620 million and has continued to expand the firm’s US and Canadian mall outlets to 366 stores including four new retail concept outlets in Seattle, Beverly Hills, New York and Chicago. Teavana also operates stores in Mexico and the Middle East.
Young-Scrivner told the Seattle Times that the company is “definitely investigating” the China market, a country where Starbucks has lofty ambitions. She added that there’s also plenty of opportunity in “other channels,” a reference to items sold in grocery stores, a category Starbucks has been emphasizing in recent years.
Some workers will be relocated and some will transition at a later date than Oct. 1.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported “some jobs will be eliminated altogether in the move, though Young-Scrivner declined to say how many. Young-Scrivner did not provide a percentage breakdown on who will move immediately and who will move later.”
None of the company’s retail stores will be affected, she said.
A Starbucks press lease posted online states: “We value the heritage of the Teavana brand and the success our Atlanta-based partners have brought to it. We are working closely with all the partners in our Atlanta Teavana office to ensure each partner is supported, whether they relocate to Seattle, transition to another role at Starbucks or their position will be eliminated and they need support in seeking new opportunities outside of the company.”
“In the nearly two years since Starbucks acquired Teavana, we’ve made tremendous progress against our plans to integrate, develop and expand the tea industry and the Teavana retail platform through Teavana Tea Bars,” reads the release.
“We are also expanding and deepening the presence of high-quality Teavana branded teas within Starbucks stores in order to leverage tea as a driver of additional customer occasions, create wide recognition for the Teavana brand and add another layer of growth within Starbucks stores,” according to the release.
Teavana will have a dedicated location within the Starbucks SoDo building.
Sources: Starbucks, Teavana, Seattle Times, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“As we seek to scale our tea expertise to support our global tea ambition, we have decided to move our Teavana headquarters, which currently employs 99 partners, from Atlanta to Seattle in order to more effectively leverage the talent and capabilities across our global business.,” said Young-Scrivner.
“What first drew us to Teavana was the company’s unmatched knowledge and authority around all things tea,” she said. “This coupled with broader, more immediate access to the diverse talent and unique capabilities across the Seattle-based Support Center will enhance our ability to innovate in the tea category, up-level the customer experience and deliver growth for this critical business to the company,” said Young-Scrivner.
Starbucks acquired 300-store Teavana in November 2012 for $620 million and has continued to expand the firm’s US and Canadian mall outlets to 366 stores including four new retail concept outlets in Seattle, Beverly Hills, New York and Chicago. Teavana also operates stores in Mexico and the Middle East.
Young-Scrivner told the Seattle Times that the company is “definitely investigating” the China market, a country where Starbucks has lofty ambitions. She added that there’s also plenty of opportunity in “other channels,” a reference to items sold in grocery stores, a category Starbucks has been emphasizing in recent years.
Some workers will be relocated and some will transition at a later date than Oct. 1.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported “some jobs will be eliminated altogether in the move, though Young-Scrivner declined to say how many. Young-Scrivner did not provide a percentage breakdown on who will move immediately and who will move later.”
None of the company’s retail stores will be affected, she said.
A Starbucks press lease posted online states: “We value the heritage of the Teavana brand and the success our Atlanta-based partners have brought to it. We are working closely with all the partners in our Atlanta Teavana office to ensure each partner is supported, whether they relocate to Seattle, transition to another role at Starbucks or their position will be eliminated and they need support in seeking new opportunities outside of the company.”
“In the nearly two years since Starbucks acquired Teavana, we’ve made tremendous progress against our plans to integrate, develop and expand the tea industry and the Teavana retail platform through Teavana Tea Bars,” reads the release.
“We are also expanding and deepening the presence of high-quality Teavana branded teas within Starbucks stores in order to leverage tea as a driver of additional customer occasions, create wide recognition for the Teavana brand and add another layer of growth within Starbucks stores,” according to the release.
Teavana will have a dedicated location within the Starbucks SoDo building.
Sources: Starbucks, Teavana, Seattle Times, Atlanta Journal-Constitution