Starbucks Names China CEO, Sees 5,000 Stores There by 2021
Starbucks Corp on Wednesday named its first chief executive officer for China and said it plans to more than double its store count in that country to 5,000 by 2021.
The world's biggest coffee chain promoted Belinda Wong to the title of CEO of Starbucks China. Wong, who had been president of that operation, will continue to report to John Culver, group president of Starbucks Global Retail.
Among other things, Wong will oversee the opening of Starbucks' first international Roastery and Reserve Tasting Room in Shanghai in 2017.
Starbucks opened the first of its sprawling roasteries in Seattle in 2014 to showcase super-premium coffee beans and brewing methods. It was a move by the company to assert itself as a player in an upscale niche being defined by newer cafe chains such as Blue...