Starbucks gains momentum in China with double-digit revenue growth

U.S. coffee giant Starbucks reported a double-digit revenue growth on the Chinese mainland and a third consecutive quarter of positive same-store sales in its first fiscal quarter of 2026, which ended on Dec. 28, 2025.

Revenue in the Chinese mainland rose 11 percent year on year to over 823 million U.S. dollars. Same-store sales increased by 7 percent, driven largely by a 5 percent rise in transaction volumes, with ticket transactions inching up by 2 percent, according to the coffee chain.

As per the analysis, the increase in same-store sales was driven by the strong performance of coffee houses in business districts.

At the same time, the company continues to push deeper into lower-tier markets. During the quarter, Starbucks entered 13 additional county-level cities. By the end of December, it had 8,011 stores across 1,103 county-level cities in the Chinese mainland, a 4 percent increase from a year earlier.

Molly Liu, chief executive officer of Starbucks China, said the company would continue to advance steadily by balancing innovation with consistency, achieving high-quality development. ■