Starbucks Corporation is a renowned roaster, marketer and retailer of specialty coffee with over 36,000 stores across 80 countries. Founded in 1971, the company comprises three segments: North America, international and channel development. Starbucks has achieved tremendous success since its inception by becoming the largest coffeehouse company in the world.
In 1971, three business partners — Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl and Gordon Bowker — pursued their dream of selling high-quality coffee beans and equipment, inspired by roasting coffee entrepreneur Alfred Peet. By 1986, the team had opened six stores in the Seattle area and had begun to sell espresso coffee. The following year, the original owners sold the Starbucks chain to former director of marketing Howard Schultz. By 1989, Starbucks had expanded to 46 stores across the Pacific Northwest and Midwest and reported annual revenue of $73.5 million.
Notable acquisitions include The Coffee Connection, Circadia, Seattle's Best Coffee, Torrefazione Italia, Diedrich Coffee and Coffee People. In 2017, Kevin Johnson succeeded Howard Schultz, and Schultz returned as CEO in April 2022.
Starbucks offers an extensive selection of hot and cold drinks, espresso, caffe latte, whole-bean coffee, micro-ground instant coffee, juices, Frappuccino beverages, full and loose-leaf teas, pastries and snacks. It operates six roasteries with tasting rooms and 43 coffee bars within the Starbucks Reserve program.
In 2008, Starbucks encountered some challenges with the announcement of 600 underperforming store closures and the halting of U.S. expansion. An additional 300 stores and a layoff of 7,000 people occurred in 2009. In 2014, Starbucks changed its strategy and shifted from a cookie-cutter approach to branding that was the same worldwide to one focused on local customization for each store. To further invest in the Chinese market, Starbucks acquired the remaining 50% stake of its joint venture from Uni-President Enterprises Corporation (UPEC) and President Chain Store Corporation (PCSC) for $1.3 billion.
The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a 10% sales decrease due to lockdowns and a 50% decrease in China and closed all café-only stores in the United States for two weeks in March. It announced in 2019 that it would close 400 locations in the U.S./Canada regions.
In 2021, Starbucks was striving to regain its footing, with workers in Buffalo, New York, attempting to unionize and the company facing accusations of illegally discriminating against unionized workers by refusing them wage and benefit increases. The company is also working to address the racial bias issues it has experienced, such as the 2008 discrimination suit and the 2018 incident in Philadelphia.
Starbucks has committed to providing an unparalleled customer experience, impressive growth and expansion and continued efforts to address systemic racism and promote equity. With the return of CEO Howard Schultz, the company plans to increase its store count to about 55,000 by 2030.