In the battle between Starbucks and the humble cappuccino, it looks like the cappuccino has won with the expected closure of all its 85 stores nationwide at the close of business today.

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When Starbucks first opened in Australia, many critics said that they would not beat the corner store cappuccino coffee shop, which Australia has become famous for due to the high level of European migrants that came to this country, bringing their coffee-making skills with them.

Another problem was the perception that Starbucks was engaging in price gouging as a standard Starbucks cappuccino cost on average $1 more than one from the humble local caf_.

According to reports, Starbucks Australian stores will be told at a meeting at 4pm today of plans to close outlets. This comes a full month after the chain’s US office announced the closure of 600 stores there.

The company operates more than 16,000 stores around the world, including the 85 ill-fated ones in Australia.