Business & Tech

Northbrook Caribou Will Become Peet's Coffee and Tea

All 80 Caribou locations in Illinois are closing, or transitioning under the Peet's name.

Updated at 2:20 p.m.

Caribou Coffee Company locations around the country are experiencing a shake-up; the Northbrook's location will soon be transitioned to Peet's Coffee & Tea, while Glenview's location will be closing. 

The transition from Caribou to Peet's could take about a year, an employee said. 

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

The Glenview location at 999 Waukegan Rd. will be closing Sunday, April 14, according to an employee. 

Caribou's president and CEO, Mike Tattersfield, issued a statement addressing the closure of "80 underperforming stores on April 14th," along with 88 more that will turn into Peet's locations. 

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

"While the decisions we’ve made have been difficult for our team in Minneapolis, as well as our team members across the country and our guests and fans everywhere, we are working to make this transition as seamless as possible for the Caribou community," Tattersfield said in the statement. "We look forward to continuing to deliver extraordinary experiences to our guests and fans, and thank everyone for their passion and commitment to Caribou."

This change to the Minnesota-based Caribou Coffee comes only a few months after German conglomerate Joh. A. Benckiser Group bought both Peet's Coffee and Tea and Caribou Coffee, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported. The Joh. A. Benckiser Group purchased Caribou Coffee in December for $340 million. It purchased Peet's Coffee and Tea in 2012 for $1 billion, the article states.

Forbes reported on the purchase in December, noting that a merger might make the most sense. 

"A merger could make geographic sense, as Caribou is mostly in the Midwest and East, while Peet’s is strongest in the West," the article stated. "To German bean-counters, it may simply not make sense in the long run to maintain two headquarters staffs and facilities for such similar businesses. A spinoff might also happen after such a merger/rebranding."

There are around 600 Caribou Coffee locations nation-wide. To speak with a Caribou representative, call 888.CARIBOU.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here