Starbucks sees China as top market

NewsTeam | CBS [MarketWatch]

Starbucks founder and chairman Howard Schultz said Friday that China could be the global coffeehouse-chain's biggest market outside of the United States in the future.

In an interview with the coffee tycoon in Tokyo, Schultz also said he expects the company's loss-making Japanese operations to turn profitable in 2004 and thinks the U.S. market still has lots of potential, with growth being driven forward by its focus on wi-fi wireless technology as well as the introduction of a debit/credit card that offers membership benefits for caffeine addicts.

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