Starbucks is ramping up its expansion plan in the Asia Pacific region, revealing plans today to open 400 additional stores this year alone.
The expansion will include new cities and outside of major metropolitan areas in markets such as Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. In Laos, where it first opened its doors in November in the capital city of Vientiane, Starbucks also plans to open a new store this year. The rollout plans exclude the company’s Chinese and Japanese operations.
Meanwhile, in India, Starbucks plans to build on its existing portfolio of more than 300 stores by expanding into at least five new cities.
In South Korea, the US-headquartered coffee chain has introduced a 500sq m thrive-thru store in the business district of Gwangyang-si, marking its 5,000th location in the region (excluding China and Japan). “Our 5,000th store in Asia Pacific is a drive-thru store that speaks both to the changing habits of our customers and of our determination to meet them where it is most convenient, while still offering the Starbucks connection,” said Emmy Kan, President of Starbucks Asia Pacific.
