HAS Starbucks finally emerged from the boycott winter in Malaysia? According to influencer Roman Akramovich on X, more and more people are returning to Starbucks.
The reason? He stated that perhaps people are becoming bored of the coffee served at those hipster cafes that were not delicious yet pricey at the same time.
Sedikit demi sedikit, makin ramai mula masuk ke Starbucks. Sebab apa? Mungkin ramai dah jemu beli air kopi di kafe hipster yang harganya overpriced tapi tak sedap. pic.twitter.com/8dI9RgxBP4
— Roman Akramovich (@SyedAkramin) January 12, 2025
However, quite a number of netizens were sceptical about his statement since some of them have noted the increasing closure of Starbuck outlets, as claimed by michael lee.
“Really, but why are there more and more outlets closing?” said Acol.
Netizen Angel, however, pointed out that Starbucks Malaysia has been doing some funding for Palestine by selling their merch.
But it appears Starbucks has its supporters too. Jamil Rosman said he enjoyed sitting at Starbucks to do his work, stating that the place feels homey and vibey among other things.
“It is different from sitting at ZUS, Coffee Bean or any other cafe,” he said.
Fariz Kadir echoed his opinion, saying that people go to Starbucks not for the coffee but the lifestyle.
He pointed out that there were many chairs there to facilitate conversations among friends while the wifi is free.
“Try going to ZUS, Gigi or some other brand. The ambience is not the same while the chairs feel like they want to drive people away,” he said.
Recently, Berjaya Group founder Vincent Tan said Starbucks Malaysia is seeing an improvement in sales with the boycott of its outlets tapering off.
Tan attributed the recent recovery to consumers becoming more realistic about Starbucks Malaysia, that the brand has nothing to do with the Israel-Palestine conflict.
The boycott severely affected its operations, as Starbucks used to account for 90% of the group’s revenue.
Three months ago, BFood dismissed rumors that over 100 Starbucks outlets in Malaysia would close permanently. The company clarified that only a few outlets had closed, with most locations temporarily shut.
In August 2023, BFood permanently closed three Starbucks outlets and temporarily suspended operations at 25 underperforming stores in response to the boycott.
Previously, Tan had appealed to Malaysians to stop the boycott, explaining that it only harmed local employees, 85% of whom were Muslim. —Jan 14, 2025
Main image: Middle East Monitor
