Content about Pike Place Market

Seattle -- Based on the success of its recent entries into the Indian and Vietnamese markets, Starbucks Coffee Company plans to enter the Southeast Asian nation of Myanmar within the next couple of years. Starbucks, which opened its first Vietnam outlet in February and started doing business in India last year, also plans to double its store count in Thailand to about 320 in the next five years.

Political and economic reforms in Myanmar have resulted in the European Union dropping sanctions against the country and the United States easing them.

Seattle -- Starbucks Coffee Company reported that its second-quarter profit rose 26% to $390.4 million, up from $309.9 million last year, amid sales increases in the Americas and Asia regions.
     
Total net revenue for the quarter ended March 31, 2013, rose 11% to $3.56 billion, not quite the $3.58 billion Wall Street expected.  Global same-store store sales grew 6%, driven by a 4% increase in traffic and a 2% increase in average ticket, marking the 13th consecutive quarter of global comp growth greater than 5%.
 

Seattle -- Starbucks Coffee Company reaffirmed its commitment to accelerate growth in Southeast Asia, announcing plans to open 100 stores in Indonesia over the next three years and another 100 stores in the Philippines over the next four years.

Starbucks entered Southeast Asia in 1996 with its first store in Singapore. The company currently operates more than 700 stores across six countries, including Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and, most recently, Vietnam.

New York -- The SPECS conference, presented each year by Chain Store Age, will debut a real estate track as part of the 49th annual event. Held in Dallas from March 17 to March 20 at the Hilton Anatole, SPECS will feature real estate workshops designed toward educating and informing the retail development executives who attend the SPECS conference.

New York -- Starbucks Coffee Co. on Friday opened its first location in Vietnam, following an expanded long-term relationship with Hong Kong Maxim’s Group.
 
The two-level flagship store has been designed to reflect Starbucks’ signature coffee heritage, while embracing Vietnam’s distinctive local traditions and coffee culture. It is located the bustling neighborhood of Ho Chi Minh City’s District 1.

Starbucks blends tradition with innovation, transforming the vault of the historic Amsterdamsche Bank, a landmark building in Rembrandt Square, into its largest store in Europe. The chain’s first “concept” store in Europe, it spans 4,500 sq. ft. and was conceived as a theatre space with a 57-foot coffee bar as its stage, with multi-level areas that provide stages for local bands, poetry readings and other cultural activities. The store will function as a test space for rare and exclusive coffees, diverse coffee brewing methods, and new food concepts.

New York -- Starbucks Coffee Co. is considering changes to its tax practices in the U.K. in the wake of criticism from lawmakers, tax campaigners and the media, according to Reuters.

A Reuters examination of Starbucks accounts that was made public in October showed that the chain had reported 13 years of losses at its U.K. unit, even as it told investors the operation was profitable and among the best performing of its overseas markets, the report said.

Seattle -- Starbucks Coffee Co. on Thursday started will accepting Square’s mobile payment application, Square Wallet, in approximately 7,000 U.S. Starbucks stores.

The new application, which allows customers to pay at Starbucks and explore nearby businesses, browse menu information, store hours and transaction history on their phone, is in addition to Starbucks own mobile payment applications on iOS and Android.

Houston -- Starbucks Coffee Co. founder and CEO Howard Schultz said his company plans to add 1,000 stores in the U.S. in the next five years, according to a Bloomberg report.

Starbucks Coffee Company is participating in a pilot project designed to encourage employees to identify strategies that will reduce the amount of energy required to run the stores while not impacting customer service.

Seattle -- Cooking retailer Sur La Table said Monday it will open a flagship store in Hearst Tower, New York City, in late 2011.

The chain’s first NYC space opened in SoHo in 2005 and a second store in the Upper East Side opened in 2010.

The new store will include Sur La Table’s largest kitchen and cooking class program. Customers will be able to take cooking classes, as well as attend events with media partners and renowned chefs from around the world. Cooking classes are currently slated to start in early December.