Chase, Duane Reade and Starbucks Eyeing 'Underretailed' Brooklyn

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The chains are coming! The chains are coming! Chase, Duane Reade and Starbucks are all joensing for more locations in Brooklyn and chances are, they're going to get them. The New York Daily News reports that at a recent Brooklyn Real Estate Roundtable organized by developer David Kramer of Hudson Companies, Chase reps stated that they want to open 20 more branches in the borough within the next two years, while the VP of Duane Reade wants to add 30 more pharmacies and a Starbucks rep "suggested that its presence may mushroom in Brooklyn at a rate of 25 new stores per year over the next three years." It's like all of a sudden, these corporations have realized that Brooklyn exists. The article ends on a less-than-pleasant note:

...while it isn't yet clear which neighborhoods will be targeted by the chains, they do have certain criteria for setting up shop on your block. Starbucks looks for areas with high street traffic and good income demographics...Chase, meanwhile, likes big corner spaces and neighborhoods where the average income is at least $30,000 a year. Still, for Robert Nadel, president of the Fraser Civic Association in Midwood and Marine Park, the thought of Starbucks on his block was as soothing as a creamy caramel macchiato. "We have felt that we've been deprived of a Starbucks. It opened up in Park Slope but not yet where we would like to see a Starbucks," Nadel said. "I love a Frappuccino every once in a while. They're a welcome competition."

Competition? Really? We'd argue that that's exactly what you won't get once Starbucks starts to infiltrate your hood.
· Starbucks and other chain brands expanding presence in Brooklyn [NY Daily News]