Detroit may not seem like the best market for a quick-service chain to target now for expansion due to its extraordinarily high unemployment rate. But Tim Hortons is eyeing the city and elsewhere in Michigan to fill in the gap left by Starbucks store closings in the state, according to The Detroit News.
The Canadian-based coffee and donuts chain has 125 stores in Michigan, including 93 in Metro Detroit, with plans to open an unspecified number of additional units.
From the story:
It's uncommon for national restaurant chains to be expanding in Michigan now, said Andy Deloney, vice president of public affairs for the Michigan Restaurant Association. But Tim Hortons' emphasis on value is a quality Michigan customers are demanding."There's something they see in Michigan that says 'This is right for us,' Deloney said. "Success is a gamble, but companies will do their research and do whatever they can to compete.""They're placing a bet on Michigan and I hope their bet pays off," he said.
Coffee-and-donut leader Dunkin' Donuts is testing a value menu in Detroit — where the unemployment rate is about 30 percent — in order to boost sales in the market.
