Starbucks Cup Half Full, Analysts Say

By Chris Stetkiewicz
SEATTLE (Reuters) - As it steams into city after city pouring foamy lattes at premium prices, Starbucks Corp. SBUX.O has faced a steady flow of critics wondering when it will have to put a lid on its expansion.

The apparent answer: Not any time soon, analysts say.

Sporting a streak of gaudy sales and profit growth that dwarfs other retailers' as it opens 100 stores a month, mostly in the United States, the Seattle-based bean baron has answered its critics even during a generally weak economy.

"We have less than a 7 percent market share of total coffee consumption in North America," Starbucks Chairman Howard Schultz told Reuters in a recent interview. "When people talk about (market) saturation, I only laugh, because it's clear they don't understand how large that market is."

More...