There’s no easy button for this problem
▲ Tim Hortons
A brooding anti-hero for our time
For the first time ever, you’ll be able to sound mildly suave ordering coffee from Tim Hortons. Saunter up to the counter at 5 a.m. before your kid’s hockey practice and lowly intone, “I’ll have a double double. [Long pause. Put on sunglasses.] Make it dark.” That’s because Canada’s dominant coffee chain introduced a new dark roast this week, its first alternative blend in 50 years. The company conducted research and found that even though Tim’s serves nearly 8 out of every 10 cups of coffee in this country, Canadians still enjoy other brews occasionally. The new dark blend is crucial for Tim Hortons to drive sales and fight off competition. With so much Tim Hortons coffee already coursing through the veins of Canadians, this country is looking saturated. Growth in the U.S., meanwhile, has proven difficult. Tim Hortons hopes the dark blend, which is part of a wider menu shake-up, will appeal to the Starbucks crowd and offer better value. And now that there’s an alternative to the classic blend, lovers of Tim Hortons are one step closer to experiencing what actual coffee tastes like.
▼ Staples
The paperless office claims another victim
People just aren’t printing out covers for their TPS reports like they used to. Staples, the office supply store announced this week that it will be shutting down 140 stores across Canada and the U.S. as businesses and consumers alike spend less on printers, toner, and ink. Competition from online juggernaut Amazon is also eating into the company’s sales. Reducing its footprint will ultimately allow Staples to save money and invest more into its online retail operation, which saw an 8% boost in revenue in the last quarter. Despite the company’s problems, it’s at least selling more office furniture and break room supplies. Staples CEO Ron Sargent admitted the company has a lot more work to do to stabilize its retail operations. Earlier today, Sargent was said to be sidling up to employees’ cubicles and telling them he’s going to need them to go ahead and come in tomorrow. That would be great.
Blogs & Comment
Winners & Losers: Tim Hortons goes dark while Staples sees red
There’s no easy button for this problem
By Joe Castaldo
▲ Tim Hortons
A brooding anti-hero for our time
For the first time ever, you’ll be able to sound mildly suave ordering coffee from Tim Hortons. Saunter up to the counter at 5 a.m. before your kid’s hockey practice and lowly intone, “I’ll have a double double. [Long pause. Put on sunglasses.] Make it dark.” That’s because Canada’s dominant coffee chain introduced a new dark roast this week, its first alternative blend in 50 years. The company conducted research and found that even though Tim’s serves nearly 8 out of every 10 cups of coffee in this country, Canadians still enjoy other brews occasionally. The new dark blend is crucial for Tim Hortons to drive sales and fight off competition. With so much Tim Hortons coffee already coursing through the veins of Canadians, this country is looking saturated. Growth in the U.S., meanwhile, has proven difficult. Tim Hortons hopes the dark blend, which is part of a wider menu shake-up, will appeal to the Starbucks crowd and offer better value. And now that there’s an alternative to the classic blend, lovers of Tim Hortons are one step closer to experiencing what actual coffee tastes like.
▼ Staples
The paperless office claims another victim
People just aren’t printing out covers for their TPS reports like they used to. Staples, the office supply store announced this week that it will be shutting down 140 stores across Canada and the U.S. as businesses and consumers alike spend less on printers, toner, and ink. Competition from online juggernaut Amazon is also eating into the company’s sales. Reducing its footprint will ultimately allow Staples to save money and invest more into its online retail operation, which saw an 8% boost in revenue in the last quarter. Despite the company’s problems, it’s at least selling more office furniture and break room supplies. Staples CEO Ron Sargent admitted the company has a lot more work to do to stabilize its retail operations. Earlier today, Sargent was said to be sidling up to employees’ cubicles and telling them he’s going to need them to go ahead and come in tomorrow. That would be great.