Starbucks wants their apology seen more than heard.
By Inderdeep Gill on Sunday, December 9, 2012
After a few months of public backlash and backfiring social media campaigns, Starbucks has finally caved in to public pressure around the topic of their ‘legal tax avoidance’ – outlining that they will pay around £20million in tax over the next 2 ye
ars.
With many people beginning to run social media and boycott campaigns, Starbucks realised that lost trust as a brand can harm their apparently already unstable market share percentage.
Starbucks states in their official press release – which was placed on A3 sheets around their stores, and available to take-away on smaller pieces of A4 (pictured) – that they’ve “found making profit in the UK to be difficult”.
To save the Starbucks brand, they also added that the company will:
- Not claim tax deductions for royalties and standard intercompany charges.
- Train 1,000 apprentices within the next 2 years.
- Pursue initiatives to increase employment.
- Open books to HM Revenue & Customs on an ongoing basis.
This is all great, but what was more interesting was the fact that these releases seemed to have been untouched, and remained so throughout my 20 minute visit to the Lakeside store. It then clicked. By placing them in-store they’re only reaching their already loyal customers, who have continued to come in regardless of the goings on.
Is this a move to create a better relationship that completely went over out heads? Surely they should have these displayed in areas to reach the mass through various channels, which could be why the #BoycottStarbucks campaign continues.