During WW II, the German army found out just how hard it is to invade Russia. Napoleon discovered the same thing 150 years earlier.
Now, Starbucks (SBUX) want to come to Russia, but the coffee retailers there are waiting. According to The Wall Street Journal when founder Howard Schultz’s book, "Pour Your Heart Into It," was translated into Russian three years ago, Vlad Lozitsky bought a pile of copies for his employees at Shokoladnitsa, one of Russia’s largest coffeehouse chains.
Starbucks probably made a big tactical error. It waited several years to get the company’s name in Russia as it fought a trademark dispute. That lost the company precious time.
In the meantime, Russia coffee shop chains have adopted most of Starbucks major practices. One local operator already has close to 175 stores.
Starbucks has never gone into a market where competition has been prepared to this extent. The company may find that being second won’t work.
Douglas A. McIntyre
Credit Card Companies Are Doing Something Nuts
Credit card companies are at war. The biggest issuers are handing out free rewards and benefits to win the best customers.
It’s possible to find cards paying unlimited 1.5%, 2%, and even more today. That’s free money for qualified borrowers, and the type of thing that would be crazy to pass up. Those rewards can add up to thousands of dollars every year in free money, and include other benefits as well.
We’ve assembled some of the best credit cards for users today. Don’t miss these offers because they won’t be this good forever.
Flywheel Publishing has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Flywheel Publishing and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.
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