STAMFORD — Starbucks is expanding further in Connecticut, with several stores under construction and poised to open within the next few months in Fairfield and New Haven counties.
Among the upcoming openings is a store in a new standalone building, with drive-thru service, at the Interstate 95 northbound service plaza in Milford. The new establishment will compete with Dunkin’, which has stores in the main buildings in the I-95 northbound and southbound service plazas in Milford.
According to a statement provided by a Starbucks spokesperson: “Starbucks is always looking for great locations to better meet the needs of our customers, and we are happy to confirm that our licensed partner Applegreen, who operates food and beverage locations within Connecticut turnpike travel plazas, will be opening a new Starbucks licensed store at the Milford travel plaza in early 2024.”
At the I-95 southbound service plaza in Darien, there is a standalone building under construction that does not currently have Starbucks signs, but it is similar in size and design to the new building at the northbound plaza in Milford. The Starbucks spokesperson did not respond to questions about whether a Starbucks store would open in the new building at the southbound plaza in Darien or answer questions about other upcoming Starbucks store openings in Connecticut. A message for Applegreen was not returned.
In Stamford, Starbucks is planning to open this spring another store, in a new shopping center at 64 High Ridge Road, at the intersection of High Ridge and Long Ridge roads. Other tenants in the new complex will include Shake Shack and Frank Pepe’s Pizzeria Napoletana.
In West Haven, construction appears close to completion on the building that will house Starbucks’ new store, with drive-thru service, at 340 Saw Mill Road, off I-95’s Exit 42. Standing on the site of a former Stewart's restaurant, the new store is adjacent to Starbucks’ current store at 354 Saw Mill Road, which does not have drive-thru service.
About 10 miles southwest, Starbucks gained approval from town officials early last year for a new store at 1220 Linden Ave., off I-95’s Exit 32, in Stratford. After a traffic study is completed, demolition of the existing two-story building and construction of the building to house the Starbucks store will proceed, according to property representatives. The construction is expected to take about six to seven months.
Another Starbucks could open in Stratford, at the Knotts Landing shopping center, off Exit I-95's Exit 33. The property's new owners are seeking the town's approval to build a store next to a Chipotle restaurant.
A Starbucks store is also planned at 990 Foxon Road in East Haven, as part of a proposed redevelopment project that would also include Chipotle and Five Guys restaurants.
At the same time, Starbucks continues to expand in the Hartford region. Among the upcoming openings in the area, the first Starbucks store in East Hartford is expected to open this spring, at the site of a new Fairfield Inn & Towneplace Suites by Marriott.
Among recently opened stores in Connecticut, Starbucks opened last September an establishment at The SoNo Collection in Norwalk and locations last August at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, on Bridgeport’s west side and in Stratford’s north end.
Last year also saw the renovation of several of Starbucks' stores in Connecticut.
For the fiscal year ending Oct. 1, 2023, Seattle-headquartered Starbucks had 17,810 stores in North America, up 3 percent year over year. North American revenues increased 12 percent year over year, to $6.9 billion. Comparable store sales in the region rose 8 percent.
“We finished our fourth quarter and full fiscal year strong, delivering on the higher end of our full-year guidance,” Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan said in a news release last November. “Our reinvention is moving ahead of schedule, fueling revenue growth, efficiency and margin expansion.”