Economics
Starbucks Is Replicating Its Too-Fast U.S. Growth in China
- Coffee chain sees same-store sales pace slowing in key market
- ‘We’re doing it intentionally,’ CFO says at investor event
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When Starbucks Corp. took its American playbook to China two decades ago, that included a controversial chapter: grow extra fast and cannibalize your own stores’ sales.
After snagging enviable 5% growth in the key country in the latest quarter, the coffee giant warned again Tuesday that its China comparable sales could rise as little as 1% this fiscal year. The 1% to 3% growth expected in China would be slower than the 3% to 4% expansion expected in the U.S., despite saturation at home.