Starbucks strengthens commitment to China

Starbucks has cemented its plans to accelerate in the Chinese market with a series of new initiatives to position Starbucks as the employer of choice. Starbucks CEO, Howard Schultz, announced on 18 April the company will join more than 1,200 Starbucks partners, their parents and family members at two separate Starbucks Partner Family Forums in Beijing and Shanghai. Themed ‘Growing Together’, the event is the first of its kind for the company, intended to help Starbucks grow and develop its partners in China. “Since our inception, Starbucks has believed in building a different kind of a company, one that grows in a way that is driven by our values,” Schultz said. “As we expand our footprint across China, we are committed to sharing our success and continue to grow together with them and their families.” John Culver, President of Starbucks China and Asia Pacific, said on 1 April that the company expects China will be its second largest market, outside of the United States, by 2014. The company is also confident it will exceed 1,500 stores across China by 2015. Starbucks today operates more than 570 stores across 48 Chinese cities. Starbucks’ initiatives to develop career opportunities for its partners include a new learning and development concept, Starbucks China University. The university will be the centre of excellence for the company’s development goals. This virtual training institute will encompass all areas and functions of the Starbucks China business, including retail operations, functional training, coffee and culture and leadership competency. “As Starbucks enters an exciting, historic phase of our growth in China, our partners will have unprecedented opportunities to build promising careers with the company,” said Belinda Wong, President of Starbucks China. To further strengthen Starbucks’ coffee authority and leadership in China, the company will set aside an additional RMB1million for the Starbucks China Caring Unites Partners (CUP) fund and help local farmers elevate the coffee quality in Yunnan Province. For more information on the Coffee Chain market in China see “The Coffee Chain war that never was”  From the March 2012 edition of Global Coffee Review