Starbucks to double store numbers, says chairman

By Leah Vyse

Starbucks Corporation, the world's leading coffee shop chain, is brewing plans to double its store number in the US, where it currently operates 8,614 outlets.

Speaking at an interview in New York, the Seattle-based coffee giant's chairman, Howard Schultz, said: "[T]he saturation opportunity in the US is not 50% there."

Mr Shultz said the group has a target of operating 30,000 stores internationally; it currently operates over 12,000 stores across 37 countries, with 70% located in the US.

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