Starbucks Continues Strong Development Through China

Starbucks Coffee Company has entered another five new Chinese cities: Langfang, Hebei; Zhengzhou, Henan; Harbin, Heilongjiang; Xiangtan, Hunan; and Zhoushan, Zhejiang.

In the past year, Starbucks has successfully entered 13 new cities in Mainland China. Approximately half of the 300 Starbucks China and Asia Pacific new store openings, in fiscal 2012, will be in China.

"At Starbucks China, we want to grow in a way that is unique to the brand – not only ensuring positive store sales, but also deepening our coffee authority, elevating the customer experience and contributing to the thriving communities in which we operate," added Belinda Wong, president, Starbucks China. "We know each Starbucks store is unique to our partners (employees), customers and the community. As such, we are not just aiming to open another 1,000 stores over the next four years; we are going to open one store 1,000 times because each store is important."

On December 1, Starbucks served its first cup of Starbucks coffee in Harbin in Northeast China, which marks the global coffee company's northernmost store in Asia. Despite the cold temperature, long queues reportedly formed outside the new store with local customers eager to be amongst the first in their city to engage in the authentic Starbucks Experience.

Starbucks today operates more than 500 stores, across 44 Chinese cities.