Emeryville, California-based Peet's Coffee & Tea has decided not to enter the metro Atlanta market. Last year, Brooklyn Center, Minnesota-based Caribou Coffeeannounced plans to close 80 locations nationally, and convert another 88 locations to sister chain, Peet's Coffee & Tea. The coffee chains were purchased in separate transactions by German private equity group Joh. A. Benckiser in 2012.
Today, the Caribou Coffee locations slated for closure have closed, both in Atlanta and around the country, but while other markets will reportedly see their Caribou locations convert to Peet's, Atlanta will not. According to multiple area Caribou locations, the decision was made "about a month ago" to not convert Atlanta area Caribou Coffee locations to Peet's Coffee & Tea shops.
(I have noticed Peet's for sale in Atlanta, but at Target in both K-Cup and ground coffee varieties.)
Sources say that Peet's may still enter the Atlanta market with its own shops, just not in the immediate future.
I spoke to a barista at Caribou Coffee's Silver Spring, Maryland location who indicated their store is scheduled to convert to Peet's in late March.
Today Caribou Coffee has six Atlanta area locations :
3261 Peachtree Road (Buckhead)
4520 Roswell Road (North Buckhead)
3487 Northside Parkway (West Buckhead)
1000 Piedmont Avenue (Midtown)
303 Peachtree Street (Downtown)
231 Peachtree Street (Downtown)
Caribou Coffee also has two locations in Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Concourses A and E.
Coffee is rather competitive in Atlanta and for Caribou to maintain a presence here with only six locations seems illogical. Unless they announce a plan to open more locations in the coming months / years (which I doubt), I think they will soon leave the market altogether.