US lawmakers have urged Starbucks to close newly opened outlets in China’s Xinjiang, saying it was a “morally bankrupt decision” to operate in a region where Beijing has been accused of widespread human rights abuses against Muslim minorities. The coffeehouse chain, which last year sold a controlling stake in its China retail business to the Hong Kong-based investment firm Boyu Capital, opened two stores in the region on Tuesday. Videos on Chinese social media showed long queues for the flagship store in Urumqi’s Grand Bazaar tourist area, with influencers showing…
Tag: Starbucks
China overtakes US as branded coffee shop capital of the world
The branded coffee chain craze may trace its roots to a single Starbucks in Seattle’s Pike Place market in 1971, but now China has toppled the US as the country with the most branded coffee shops. The number of branded coffee shops in China increased by 58% over the past 12 months to a record 49,691 outlets, according to research by World Coffee Portal. That was more than 9,000 in excess of the 40,062 in the US, where the market grew by just 4%. The US had held the crown…