After remodeling stores in Seattle, Tokyo and Paris Disney Village with its new, community-focused design, Starbucks has taken those ideas to the U.K., where The Times of London reports that the first of 100 "individualized" Starbucks opens in Central London today (although the article is dated tomorrow, and even the time change doesn't account for that).

The Times says Starbucks "looks to recapture some of the cool, relaxed ethos of its first branches in Seattle 38 years ago -- and steal customers back from its rivals."

"We are not trying to disguise that it's Starbucks," said Tim McCoy, head of communications for Starbucks in the U.K., told The Times. "It still says Starbucks on the door, but we needed something different. There are a lot of copycat chains around and we thought people would feel better disposed to us if they felt the store was part of their community and knew the people there."

Sounds a lot like Starbucks' stores at First Avenue and Pike Street, University Village and the 15th Avenue Coffee and Tea location on Capitol Hill.

In a similar story focusing on Starbucks' optimism about the U.K., the Wall Street Journal online discussed Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz's rocky relationship with Lord Peter Mandelson, who became incensed earlier this year when Schultz said in a television interview that "The concern for us is western Europe and specifically the U.K. The U.K. is in a spiral.'"

The Times reported Mandelson's response, which included a four-letter attack on Schultz that began, "Why should I have that guy running down the country?"

Later Mandelson said, "The U.K. is not spiralling, although I have noticed that Starbucks is in a great deal of trouble. But that may be because of their overexposure given the state of the market. So please do not project Starbucks on to the U.K. economy as a whole," The Times said.

The Wall Street Journal cattily surmised today that Lord Mandelson "will now be hoping" that Starbucks' improved fortunes will be mirrored in the U.K.'s long-suffering economy.

For good measure, the Journal also snarked that "Schultz's true love is China," which Schultz said this week will someday be Starbucks' largest international market.