One of the first locations to open in Texas three decades ago, Starbucks at Highland Park Village will close at the end of the month.
In October, The Dallas Express reported the luxury shopping center would not be renewing the store’s lease because of changes in how the company now operates. Starbucks has shifted its focus to the company’s go-to and mobile customers instead of dine-in guests, investing $450 million in automation equipment last year to reduce the average time it takes to make drinks.
“It’s not conducive to our shopping environment,” Victoria Snee, Highland Park Village’s chief marketing officer, told The Dallas Morning News. “It’s not a right fit for us. We have two other good coffee options, Bird Bakery and Sadelle’s.”
Highland Park Village has catered to luxury shoppers since opening nearly a century ago. Starbucks opened there in 1994 and, last year, the center welcomed several new designer shops, including French designer label Balmain, Italian bespoke menswear brand Brioni, Spanish fashion house Loewe, and the contemporary Californian studio Simkhai.
Highland Park Village is home to more than 50 brands, including Christian Dior, Valentino, Fendi, Chanel, Jimmy Choo, Akris, Alexander McQueen, Madison, Veronica Beard, and Hermes. The shopping center also includes several restaurants, such as Bistro 31, Mi Cocina, Cafe Pacific, Fachini, Lounge 31, Teak Tearoom, and The Honor Bar.
Founded in 1971 in Seattle, Starbucks operates more than 36,000 stores in 84 markets using over 30 blends and single-origin premium coffees. In 1992, the company went public at $17 per share. Starbucks is listed on NASDAQ as SBUX.