The company is continuing to gain momentum in China, announcing the appointment of a new Co-CEO for the region, as well as the opening of a USD220M coffee innovation park near Shanghai.
The US coffee chain giant has promoted Molly Liu to Executive Vice President and Co-Chief Executive Officer of Starbucks China, effective 2 October. Liu has served as Starbucks China’s Chief Operating Officer since 2021 and previously served as the company’s vice president of digital ventures. Belinda Wong will continue to serve as Chairwoman and CEO of Starbucks China.
“Molly is a strong leader who has been instrumental in elevating the Starbucks experience for our Chinese customers and driving industry-leading innovation for our China business,” said Laxman Narasimhan, Chief Executive Officer of Starbucks. “There remains tremendous opportunity for Starbucks in China, and I’m confident that together, Belinda and Molly, will lead Starbucks through our next chapter, while living our Mission and Values.”
Coinciding with Liu’s promotion, Starbucks revealed details of its China Coffee Innovation Park (CIP). Located in the city of Kunshan, an hour from Shanghai, the 80,000sq m CIP aims to fulfil scaled vertical integration across one market, a first for the company globally, and features a roasting plant using Starbucks most energy-efficient technology, a state-of-the-art integrated distribution centre (IDC), and an immersive experience centre.
