Starbucks to debut in Wilmington

• The first new store is expected to open downtown in the Nemours building in October
• The second is planned to open by year’s end in the city’s Riverfront neighborhood in the Residences at Justison Landing

By the end of this year, the city of Wilmington will have two Starbucks coffee shops.

The first new store is expected to open downtown in the Nemours building in October. The second is planned to open by year’s end in the city’s Riverfront neighborhood in the Residences at Justison Landing.

The state’s largest city has no locations of the national chain. The new shops were announced Wednesday by the Buccini Pollin Group, which described it as “the international retailer’s double-debut” in Wilmington.

Nationally, Starbucks has a goal of opening 1,500 strategically placed stores.

The publicly traded company has told investors that it plans to open new shops using data to pinpoint optimal locations that won’t compete with existing Starbucks stores. The chain, which also is expanding its menu options, has been increasing the number of stores after scaling back from 2008 to 2011.

There were 17 stores in Delaware in fiscal year 2013, according to the company. In 2008 there were 23.

The possibility of a Starbucks in Wilmington has been the subject of much speculation this month. The chatter began not long after Sugarfoot cafe moved out of the Nemours Building, something the local restaurant owner, Anne Day, said was part of a consolidation to a single location inside The Devon condos.

Of course, no one’s suggesting it will be the only place in Wilmington that offers a specialty latte or a plain old cup o’ joe. Downtown shops such as Brew HaHa and LOMA Coffee, have long served as a place to hang out or quickly grab a cup to go.

The downtown Starbucks location will be a corporate-run store in an area near many offices. The Riverfront shop will be a licensed location, and it will feature a lounge with a fireplace.

Contact Nichole Dobo at 324-2281 or ndobo@delawareonline.com. On Twitter @NicholeDobo.