Following USA Today's move to newsstands inside Starbucks coffee shops, The Wall Street Journal today announced its availability for purchase at 450 local Starbucks stores in the New York area, according to a Dow Jones press release, out today.

The Journal will also be available in the shops in certain parts of New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania. The New York Times was the first national U.S. newspaper to be distributed at Starbucks, with USA Today joining the coffee chain's distribution network at 6,500 Starbucks outlets across the country earlier this month. The distribution of The Journal at Starbucks is expected to coincide with the launch of its New York edition in April, Editor & Publisher reported.

"This strategic relationship is consistent with the Journal's plan to target New Yorkers, especially with the upcoming new section that will debut next month," Lynne Brennen, senior vice president of circulation for The Journal, stated in the press release. "The targeted distribution across New York area Starbucks stores allows us to serve our readers and is another platform for customers to sample its broad array of coverage."

The combination of The Journal's entrance into non-financial New York news, plus its sales pitch initiative at Starbucks, could cause the battle between The Journal and The Times to rise to a new level, according to Business Insider.

The soon-to-be launched New York section "aims to capture readers' attention by applying the Journal's unique insight and analysis to a wide range of topics of interest to New Yorkers," the press release stated. With an aim to offer customers the opportunity to customise their Starbucks experience, Andrew Alfano, regional vice president, NY Metro, Starbucks Coffee Company said, "This is yet another step we're taking to provide high-quality options that our loyal customers appreciate."