Starbucks prepares for Chinese invasion

By Keith Bradsher | The New York Times

HONG KONG -- The Starbucks Corp. plans to announce soon an accelerated push into the Chinese market, company executives said, the latest in a series of aggressive efforts by international food and beverage companies to expand in China.

What is striking about these efforts, by companies like KFC and McDonald's as well as Starbucks, is that they have made few concessions to Chinese tastes so far, instead cultivating in China an appetite for Western favorites like Big Macs and grande lattes.

More...