Shadowing Practice: Why Starbucks Failed In Australia - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

B2
Shadowing Controls
0% completed (0/35 sentences)
Starbucks has coffee shops all over the world There are more than 28,000 locations and 76 markets From Shanghai to Guantanamo Bay And in China, a new Starbucks location opens up every 15 hours
⏸ Paused
All Sentences
35 sentences
1
Starbucks has coffee shops all over the world There are more than 28,000 locations and 76 markets From Shanghai to Guantanamo Bay And in China, a new Starbucks location opens up every 15 hours
2
But there is one continent that seems uninterested in the hype over the Seattle based coffee chain And that continent is Australia It's proven to be one of the toughest markets in the world to break into
3
So tough in fact, that Starbucks closed more than two-thirds of its stores on the continent back in 2008 So what went so wrong with Starbucks and Australia To answer that let's go back to July of 2000
4
When Starbucks opened its first Australian shop in Sydney From there it expanded fast By 2008 Starbucks had 87 stores across the continent I think one of the problems with Starbucks
5
and its true for a lot of businesses that have been successful in one country is that they thought that their business model could just roll out to a different environment and there was no need for them to adjust
6
But that was the problem They tried to grow the Empire too fast Starbucks rapidly opened up multiple locations instead of slowly integrating them into the Australian market When they launched they launched too rapidly and didn't give the Australian consumer
7
an opportunity to really develop an appetite for the Starbucks brand They also moved into regional areas into outer suburbs of major cities And so for the Australian consumer it was almost like it was too available for them
8
And so there wasn't this point of difference, this want, this need for Starbucks And it wasn't an organic growth which is what we very much saw in the US In its first 7 years in Australia, Starbucks accumulated $105 million in losses
9
By 2007, Starbucks Australia was hanging on by a thread taking big loans from the US, totaling up to $54 million And in 2008, Starbucks announced it was shutting down 61 stores
10
But of course 2008 was a difficult time for businesses due to the financial crisis Along with Australia closures, Starbucks also closed 600 underperforming American stores
11
But even still such a retreat in Australia was embarrassing for the brand When you're shutting down 75 stores For the Australian consumer when they, when they did leave the market
12
or at least a large number of bestowals were shut down they didn't really care It's partly because Australians are spoiled for choice when it comes to coffee Australia's coffee market is one of the biggest in the world
13
the industry is expected to hit more than $6 billion in total revenue in 2018 They've been immersed in nuances of cafe culture since the mid 1900s when Italian and Greek immigrants began traveling to the country
14
The immigrants introduced Australians to espresso By the 1980s, Australians were fully engulfed in cafe culture They've also grown accustomed to specialty menu items like a flat white or an Australian macchiato
15
So cafes in Australia were born out of like the Italian culture of, you know, meeting of friends and knowing your local barista
16
and it being kind of like a local meeting place where everyone knew each other and that coffee was just a part of that and then Starbucks came in with what is more of an American style
17
like coffee culture which is essentially just like coffee is a product, coffee is a commodity Coffee is like, like perk me up in the morning it's caffeination Starbucks had a basic menu and offered more sugary drinks which most Australians didn't like
18
in Australia where, you know, local tastes are different So we don't really want a coffee that's, you know, hundreds of ounces with lots of sugar in it We want something a little more sophisticated
19
Plus Starbucks charge more than local cafes So Australians instead opted to pay less for coffee they liked from a local barista they trusted And so when you come in with this big like hey, we're going to open all these cafes
20
And they're all gonna be to go focus It just was the complete wrong market for what, what the Australian was used to But there is one American coffee company that's thriving in Australia
21
Founded in Chicago and now based in Australia Gloria Jean's got the traction in Australia that Starbucks couldn't Gloria Jean's has more than 400 Australian locations And serves more than 35 million consumers in Australia each year
22
So what is Gloria Jean's doing in Australia that Starbucks isn't Well the company attributed to success to two Australians who franchised the business in their home country Shops started to show up in Australia in 1996
23
Fast forward to today, the company has a presence in every Australian state The reason? Its menu The chain offers a wide variety of espresso drinks and specialty coffee
24
Failing to adapt its menu to Australians coffee culture proved to be a mistake for Starbucks And the company faces another challenge later this year Italy Starbucks is opening its first store in Milan in late 2018
25
home of the espresso, Italy is rich in cafe culture But according to Starbucks it's not going to make the same mistakes that it did in Australia The company said that it would develop in Italy with humility and respect for its coffee culture
26
It announced it would be opening a roastery which is not your average cafe It gives customers a chance to see coffee beans roasted and processed before their eyes So there's a chance that it won't struggle like it did in Australia
27
But Starbucks isn't admitting defeat in Australia either Starbucks is staging a comeback on the continent In 2014, Starbucks locations in Australia were purchased by the Mount Waverley base withers group
28
Starbucks told CNBC that since its sale to the withers group the company learned a lot So this time it's taking a different approach to putting Starbucks on the continent So if you just think about Australia as a big tourist destination
29
There's a lot of U.S. and Chinese tourists Starbucks has been very successful in China and it makes a lot of sense for them to build out because there are people looking for something that's familiar to them
30
Now with 39 locations in Brisbane, Melbourne, the Gold Coast, and Sydney areas this time it's not looking to appeal to Australians but instead the coffee giant hopes to be a familiar face for tourists visiting popular vacation destinations in Australia
31
free Australia has always been a high-volume tourist market The same thing in terms of international students at our universities are potential opportunities for them And we're starting to see Starbucks enter into some large shopping malls
32
here in Australia as well Australia welcomed 9 million tourists from 2017 and 2018 And those international visitors spent more than $30 billion in 2017 alone
33
So tourists could possibly be the key to keeping the company afloat and preventing another downfall
34
Hey there, thanks for checking out CNBC on YouTube be sure to subscribe to stay up-to-date on all of the day's biggest stories You can also click on any of the videos around me to watch the latest from CNBC
35
Thanks for watching

Context & Background

In a competitive global market, many brands face the challenge of adapting their business models to meet local expectations and preferences. The case of Starbucks in Australia illustrates how a lack of understanding of local culture and consumer habits can lead to failure. This video examines Starbucks' challenges in entering the Australian coffee market, highlighting the importance of aligning offerings with local tastes and preferences. With a backdrop of Australia's rich coffee culture, which has been cultivated since the mid-1900s, it’s clear that success is not simply about expansion but about meaningful integration into the community.

Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication

  • “We opened our first store in Sydney.” - Perfect for sharing experiences of starting new endeavors.
  • “They didn’t adjust their business model.” - Useful for discussing businesses and their strategies.
  • “Australians are spoiled for choice.” - A great way to express abundance in offerings.
  • “The cafe culture is rich here.” - A phrase to highlight the significance of local traditions.
  • “They’re aiming for tourists instead.” - Key for discussing target audiences and market shifts.

Step-by-step Shadowing Guide

To effectively engage with the content of this video and improve your English speaking practice, follow these comprehensive steps:

  1. Watch the video: Start by watching the video several times to understand the overall message and tone.
  2. Listen & Repeat: Play individual segments and pause after each statement. Repeat what you hear, focusing on pronunciation and intonation. This will help you improve English pronunciation.
  3. Identify Key Phrases: Use the top phrases listed above as practice points. Integrate them into your conversation to build familiarity.
  4. Record Yourself: Use a simple recording device to capture your spoken repetitions. Compare your pronunciation with the original audio. This exercise will enhance your self-awareness in speaking.
  5. Utilize Shadowspeaks Techniques: Apply shadowing techniques by mimicking the speaker while watching the video. This method is effective on a shadowspeaks platform, where you can practice in real-time.

Shadowing is a powerful tool to develop fluency and confidence in speaking English. By applying these techniques, you'll not only improve your pronunciation but also get a deeper understanding of speaking in context, especially in discussions about culture and business.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

☕ Buy us a coffee