Starbucks Expansion Into China

Starbucks Corporation has been expanded greatly into international market since 1996. For instance, Starbucks entered the Tokyo, Japan’s market during 1996; United Kingdom in 1998 and in Mexico City during September 2002. Starbucks has doubled in the amount of stores it possesses since 2004, but it has consistently stayed at only a 30% international market. There are over 50 countries that consist of Starbucks which are Australia, Belgium, China, England, Germany, Malaysia, Singapore and others. It cannot be denied that Starbucks has a great base in United States but it greatly outweighs the base that it has throughout the rest of the world. So, Starbucks should expand its international market into more countries by putting more effort like

Starbuck 's has become a staple of American culture and for the most part, if you are in your 20 's, you have grown up with it and this has become what you expect coffee to be. Who can blame you, it is everywhere, so "wake up and smell the coffee"! I plan to tell you about the strategies that this giant uses, that have taken it from humble beginnings to a worldwide phenomenon. I also intend to explain how Starbucks is taking China by storm, mainly because marketer / entrepreneur Howard Schultz 's vision and mission statement is shared by everyone in the company!An excerpt from the London Financial Times published in February 2006 states the following in regards to Starbucks entering the Chinese market; "Mr Schultz said the company was

Starbucks was conscious of China’s economic and financial challenges and the fact that the average Chinese earns $500 a month and drinks just three cups of coffee a year was a major challenge to overcome. How many $4 cups of coffee do they actually want or can they afford? The Chinese are among the toughest lot in the world to convince on the price-value relationship. They are very cost-conscious and look for value in whatever they pay for.

2) Garthwiate, Craig; Busse, Meghan; Brown, Jennifer; Merkley, Greg “Starbucks: A Story of Growth” Harvard Business Publishing, July 2012.

The final project is going to be about the market entry of Starbucks into China. This project will focus on gauging the success of the company's market entry strategy thus far. Starbucks has announced in a press release that it believes China will be its #2 market by 2014, and the company has been one of the most successful American companies in that market (Starbucks, 2012). The company entered the Chinese market in 1999 with a store in Beijing. This followed the acquisition of greater knowledge about Chinese business culture through outlets in Taiwan. The company initially used a licensing agreement to enter the Chinese market (Starbucks, 2010).

Starbucks is now the largest coffeehouse company in the word with over 23,000 stores in more than 60 countries and territories including more than 13,000 in the United States, over 1,900 in China, over 1,500 in Canada, 1,089 in Japan, and 927 in the United Kingdom. Starbucks has developed to serving hot and cold beverages, whole bean coffee, teas, pastries, and other types of snacks. They even offer items such as mugs and drinking glasses.

Even so, just two weeks earlier Howard Schultz announced that the company will be expanding internationally. The plan is to open more than 1500 stores in Germany, France, and Britain over a 3-year span (Forbes, 2008). It is estimated that this expansion will boost revenue by more than 20 percent (MSN Money, 2008). In spite of Starbucks’ struggle among its love-hate relationship between customers and protesters, one thing that Starbucks

It requires a long term commitment. An important strategy is to invest in employees. When I visited a Starbucks store in Shanghai back in 2007, I was impressed by the cheerful greetings of Chinese baristas, which set Starbucks apart from copycats. Starbucks has done an excellent job in recruiting and training its employees. This is a win-win strategy because employees are at the heart of delivering the “Starbucks Experience” to customers. They are the best marketing ambassadors for the company. Long term commitment also means patience. It takes time to educate the market and gain customer loyalty. The companies that invest in long term plans can be sure to reap handsome rewards. If Starbucks can succeed in a most unlikely-to-succeed market, there is no reason that any other company, large or small, cannot succeed in China. The ability to think differently, do your homework, implement right strategies, adapt to local markets, and commit long term are all important steps to achieve that

In U.S. Starbucks adopts premium-pricing strategy to target those affluent groups, which is consistent globally including China. However, the price in the state is cheaper than those in

The Starbucks brand was regarded as one of the best known and most potent brand names in America and the company had firmly established itself as the dominant retailer, roaster, and brand of specialty coffee in North America. It already had over 1,500 stores in North America and the Pacific Rim and was opening new ones at a rate of more than one per day. Sales in fiscal year 1997 were a record $967 million and profits reached an all-time high of $57.4 million. The company 's closest competitor had fewer than 300 retail locations. And since going public in 1992, Starbucks has seen its stock price increase nearly nine fold.

Starbucks Coffee International, a subsidiary of Starbucks Coffee Company has recently celebrated its first step into Southern China opening a new store in the country, the first one in Shenzhen. The store is owned by Coffee Concepts, a joint venture between Starbucks and Hong Kong’s Maxim group, who together have already opened 32 Starbucks stores in Hong Kong between 2000 and 2002.1 At the opening Pedro Man, president of Starbucks Coffee Asia Pacific Ltd., the Asian division of Starbucks Coffee International said: "As we celebrate the opening of our first store in Southern China today, we mark yet another key milestone in the history and tradition of

Starbucks ' strategy for expanding its retail business is to increase its market share in existing markets and to open stores in new markets where the opportunity exists to become the leading specialty coffee retailer. In support of this strategy, the Company opened 647 new stores during the fiscal year end in September of 2001. At fiscal year end, Starbucks had 2,971 Company-operated stores in 38 states, the District of Columbia and five Canadian provinces (which comprise the Company-operated North American retail operations), as well as 252 stores in the United Kingdom, 25 stores in Thailand and 18 stores in Australia (which comprise the Company-operated international retail

Starbucks is active when it comes to expansion into other countries. The organization adapts their products in order to fit local tastes and preferences. This strategy is has been well received and profitable in all locations the company has penetrated. Starbucks has done an exceptional job strategically determining the consumer tastes and preferences and that are associated globally. Based on this strategy the organization has been able to offer one common line of products to satisfy customer needs around the world. For example, coffee lovers in Latin America may enjoy a bitterer coffee taste over the milder brews that are actually more popular in Asia (Starbucks.com).

Starbucks is one of the largest coffee shop chains in the world. In 2005 it was the leading coffeehouse retailer in the world with operations in 34 countries outside the US, counting 10.241 coffeehouses. Starbucks began its international expansion with Japan in 1995. We think Starbucks is a global company. Throughout the answer we will use Starbucks’ value chain activities to explain why Starbucks can be considered a global company.

Starbucks’ retail entry model in the United States does not have the same strategy as their international model. In the states Starbucks holds great control as a corporation, but in international territory, country partnerships, cultural, government laws and politics play a very important role in Starbucks’ entry strategy. Starbucks has set it sights globally since the coffee market has come close to saturation in the U.S. which will give them the opportunity to continue to expand without fierce competition. Starbucks has looked to countries like India and other emerging markets with great growth potential to set down new roots. Starbucks recognizes India as a great choice to expand business internationally but also recognizes the complexity in the same market after several attempts to enter without success.