Starbucks to Open a Store in China EVERY 15 HOURS Until 2022

Starbucks is reportedly planning to open a new store in mainland China every 15 hours until 2022.

With 3,300 stores, China is currently Starbucks’ second-largest market, just behind the United States.

Starbucks in Shunde, Guangdong, China. Image via Wikimedia Commons / Zhaofeng Li (CC BY-SA 1.0)

The move, which results to 6,000 new outlets, is expected to multiply the coffee giant’s revenue in the country threefold.

The plan comes amid a general concern on increasing tensions in trade between the U.S. and China.

CEO Kevin Johnson, who attended an investor conference in Shanghai, told Bloomberg:

“China has a long runway of opportunity for Starbucks. We can’t control what happens in the geopolitical situation. We are not immune to it, but we take a long-term view.

“We have built a business here in China over 20 years. We have built that business in China, for China.”

Starbucks in a Chinatown. Image via Flickr / Dawn Huczek (CC BY 2.0)

Starbucks also struck a $7.2 billion deal with Nestle, which would help it realize its aggressive expansion plan.

In addition to new stores, Starbucks will also launch a new program for online and mobile delivery in the country, where more and more people are transacting digitally.

The company will also offer a new line of pre-made coffee and cold tea to Chinese customers, who are increasingly choosing to drink beverages on the go, according to CNN.

Featured Image via Flickr / dunhilaryu (CC BY 2.0)

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