Starbucks Has a Pumpkin Spice Latte Problem in China
www.nytimes.com
For years, Starbucks was the dominant coffee chain in China. Now rivals offering local flavors and cheaper prices are crushing the company’s bottom line in its second-largest market.

Good article from the New York Times.

Summary

Starbucks China is losing customers at a very rapid pace. Starbucks corporate executives are angry. Brian Niccol, the new $100 million CEO of Starbucks, sounded the alarm in October, calling the competition “extreme”. For the Chinese Lunar year, Starbucks released a pork flavor latte. It cost more than $9 and was widely seen as a disaster.

Billionaire Howard Schultz, Starbucks’s former CEO, insisted that Starbucks would not enter a price war in China. He claimed “as chinese customers become more knowledgeable about coffee, they will want to upgrade from lower-end or discounted products”

  • NotJohnSmith@feddit.ukEnglish
    3·
    18 days ago

    I think they’re referring to their username, not just escalating to 100 out of nowhere.

    Saying that, I have “idiot” in some of my usernames and am always surprised when people use it as a comeback. Like, I’m calling myself an idiot, do you think it has any effect when someone else does?

    Back on subject, my view for what it’s worth is this shows how different we are - some people want a coffee out, some are prepared to take a ready made one. I don’t really crave coffee out of the house so wouldn’t do either