Ann Arbor's Caribou Coffee will be converted to Peet's Coffee & Tea
Caribou Coffee on Sunday closed nine of its company-owned coffee shops in Michigan, but the Ann Arbor store was spared.
The store, at 1423 E. Stadium Blvd., is among nine locations in Michigan that will be converted to Peet’s Coffee & Tea in coming months, a company spokesperson confirmed.
The Caribou Coffee on East Stadium Boulevard in Ann Arbor will be converted to a Peet's Coffee & Tea.
From Yelp
The Minnesota-based coffee retailer announced plans last week to close 80 underperforming company-owned stores on April 14 and convert an additional 88 stores to Peet’s Coffee & Tea over the next 12 to 18 months. Moving forward, Caribou CEO Mike Tattersfield said the Caribou Coffee brand will consist of 468 locations in eight states and 10 international markets.
There were 22 Caribou stores in Michigan, and 13 remain open, according to the company’s website. The licensed locations in Detroit Metro Airport and Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital will not be affected.
The Ann Arbor Caribou Coffee manager declined to comment and referred AnnArbor.com to Caribou’s corporate representatives. It’s unclear when the store will be converted and what it will mean for employees.
Founded in 1966, Peet’s Coffee & Tea is a specialty coffee roaster and retailer based in California. There also are Peet’s stores in Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts, Oregon and Washington.
German investment firm company Joh. A. Benckiser Group acquired both Caribou Coffee and Peet’s Coffee & Tea in 2012.
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MLive reporter David Muller contributed to this report.
Lizzy Alfs is a business reporter for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at 734-623-2584 or email her at lizzyalfs@annarbor.com. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/lizzyalfs.
Comments
michael Limmer
Wed, Apr 17, 2013 : 5:19 p.m.
Always wished they could have leased the back half of Great Clips for extra room.
David
Wed, Apr 17, 2013 : 2:16 p.m.
Should be "referred AnnArbor.com to Caribou's corporate representatives."
Lizzy Alfs
Wed, Apr 17, 2013 : 3:41 p.m.
That gets me every time! Thank you, it has been corrected.
Halter
Wed, Apr 17, 2013 : 9:32 a.m.
Taste win all around. As to this location its great for us locals, but its tiny inside and there is nowhere to park. Pete's is a superior brand and will get more business---and hence even less parking. Prediction: people will start to park in the Chase lot across the street.
Jessica Webster
Wed, Apr 17, 2013 : 4:37 p.m.
I've never had trouble finding a place to park, but maybe we are there during off-peak hours?
jen777
Wed, Apr 17, 2013 : 2:24 a.m.
Pete's was around the San Francisco Bay Area more than 35 years ago - distinctive blends and good stuff. Their shops were just fine as they expanded in other locations.
Soulful Adrenaline
Tue, Apr 16, 2013 : 10:38 p.m.
Caribou employees are very nice and I hope they re-interview and continue to work there after the change-over.
Jessica Webster
Wed, Apr 17, 2013 : 2:21 p.m.
I agree. The employees there have been a huge reason my son and I stop by regularly.
Martha Andrews-Schmidt
Tue, Apr 16, 2013 : 8:33 p.m.
I've been importing Peet's monthly from Berkeley, CA since 1987, and in my book there is no better coffee. Plum Market carries some of the flavors, but not my favorites so I am *thrilled* that there will be a local store. Can't wait!
Elaine F. Owsley
Tue, Apr 16, 2013 : 7:24 p.m.
The poll results kind of tell it all, don't they?
Classof2014
Tue, Apr 16, 2013 : 7:23 p.m.
I know what is going to happen with the employees. The employees are going to have to be rehired to work at Peets Coffee and Tea. This is so sad, I love Caribou!
Belgium
Tue, Apr 16, 2013 : 7:07 p.m.
In further news, I will be changing my office location to 1423 E. Stadium Blvd. if anyone needs me. I have been missing Pete's since I left Portland. Costco just started carrying Pete's beans (Major Dickerson's Blend) but this is better.
Sparty
Tue, Apr 16, 2013 : 6:51 p.m.
Great news that many local jobs won't be lost and that our locals will have a favored place to visit !
RedSchwinn
Tue, Apr 16, 2013 : 6:17 p.m.
I started passing up Caribou last fall to visit a great local roaster, Roos Roast. Never had the chance to sample Peet's, but I doubt it could be better than Roos.
Jessica Webster
Wed, Apr 17, 2013 : 2:22 p.m.
We rotate between Roos Roast, Mighty Good and Zingerman's roasts in my house. We're so spoiled with really good locally-roasted coffee here.
A2 Born n Raised
Wed, Apr 17, 2013 : 2 p.m.
Luuuuuvvvvvv the Lobster Butter Love by Roos Roast!
Katherine Willson
Tue, Apr 16, 2013 : 8:11 p.m.
I second that, Red - Roos is, by far, the BEST coffee I've ever had outside of Italy. :-)
SurlyCommenter
Tue, Apr 16, 2013 : 7:15 p.m.
Roos is very good, but I prefer Peet's. Both are really expensive!
UM owns
Tue, Apr 16, 2013 : 6:03 p.m.
Peet's is gosh darn delicious -- this is a win!!
Katherine Willson
Tue, Apr 16, 2013 : 5:46 p.m.
I stopped by the coffee shop last week and talked to an employee about this, and she said that they were informed that they'll all have their jobs through October, which is when Peet's is expected to take over. She said they were also told that, if any of them wanted to continue working in that location, they'd all have to re-interview, including the managers.
CLX
Tue, Apr 16, 2013 : 5:24 p.m.
The location is decent, but the shop itself is very undersized and uncomfortable. Still, Pete's coffee is fantastic, so I'll likely stop in.