Starbucks preparing to open in New Bedford — here's when you'll be able to get your coffee
Seth ChitwoodNEW BEDFORD — The Planning Board approved a proposal to build New Bedford's first Starbucks on Aug. 11, and now the coffee giant confirms it is taking steps toward opening soon.
"Starbucks is always looking for great locations to better meet the needs of our customers, and we are happy to confirm that we will be opening a new location at 157 Coggeshall St.," said a Starbucks spokesperson.
This store will employ approximately 30 employees and will feature a drive-thru. The spokesperson says customers can expect a mid-2022 opening.
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According to Lisa Kerns, Starbucks' North America lease and property-management director in an article for the Business Journal, she said the process takes 26 weeks to build and open a new Starbucks.
The biggest hold-up can be getting local authorities to complete all the inspections.
However, in February 2021, Starbucks built a store in Abbotsford, British Columbia, in only six days, once it got full approval.
The location on Coggeshall Street was once a Subway that went out of business in 2019. There was also a touchless carwash and collision business. ALRIG USA Development LLC, a Michigan-based firm, recently purchased the three lots.
In 2016, the first standalone Starbucks to open in the SouthCoast was built at 429 State Road in Dartmouth.
Standard-Times staff writer Seth Chitwood can be reached at schitwood@s-t.com. Follow him on twitter: @ChitwoodReports. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Standard-Times today.