Starbucks goes for vertical integration to fuel growth in China

A big week of announcements for Starbucks as it continues to emerge from the global economic downturn. It has announced plans to accelerate its store opening programme, with 400 new stores outside the USA alone. And it has also decided, for the first time, to start growing its own coffee beans, as a way of supporting its ambitious growth plans in China.

The video below describes the Chinese expansion strategy well. Here is a link to an article in the Independent which explains the background to the move back towards international store expansion.