Caribou opens/revamps Chicago stores

Shea is proud to be one of Caribou's partners as we continue to see them grow. Today the Business Journal reports on some new corporate owned stores that are opening in the Chicago area. (Click on the link at the bottom of the article for the press release from Caribou.)

Caribou Coffee opening new stores in Chicago

Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal by Ed Stych, Web Producer


Monday, October 17, 2011
Caribou Coffee Co. Inc. said Monday it is opening seven new coffeehouses and revamping seven others in the Chicago area by the end of the year.


Caribou already has opened three of the seven. Those are located in Fox Valley, Arlington Heights and Lake Forest. The other four — which are in Bucktown, Rolling Meadows, Naperville and Northbrook — will open by the end of the year, Brooklyn Center-based Caribou (Nasdaq: CBOU) said.

The stores that are being revamped include three in Chicago, plus one each in Gurnee, Naperville, Winnetka and Gleview.

Caribou has 556 stores in 20 states, including 70 in Chicago. Only the Twin Cities market has more stores than Chicago.

"We've never been in a more positive strategic or financial position than we are now," Caribou CEO Mike Tattersfield said in a news release. "This is the perfect time for us to grow our business, and Chicago is the perfect market in which this can be accomplished."

As part of its Chicago marketing effort, Caribou said it has started an ad campaign titled "How do you Bou?" It also is offering a limited-edition mug that features Chicago landmarks such as Lakeshore Drive, Navy Pier and the Chicago Theatre.

Last month, Caribou opened its first company-owned store since 2008. It was in downtown Minneapolis. The new Chicago stores will all be company-owned.

>Click here to read the company's news release.