Starbucks first launched in Mexico in 2002 and currently operates 753 stores in the country | Photo credit: Starbucks

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Restaurant operator Alsea will invest Mex $4.5bn ($225m) to open 200 new Starbucks stores across Mexico by 2026.

Starbucks first launched in Mexico in 2002 and currently operates 753 stores in the country.

Alsea also intends to carry out remodelling and maintenance of existing Starbucks locations as part of wider strategic projects with the Seattle-based coffee chain.

Francisco Tosso, General Director of Starbucks Mexico, said that all Starbucks stores in the country will achieve a 25% reduction in CO2 emissions and overall energy consumption by 2030, as well as a 35% reduction in water consumption across its estate.

“We are pleased to celebrate 20 years in Mexico, a vibrant and innovative market that is home to almost half of our stores in Latin America and the Caribbean. We look forward to continuing our sustained growth in the market over the long term,” said Michael Conway, President, Starbucks Channel and International Development Group.

Starbucks opened its 1,500th store in the Latin America and the Caribbean region with a first outlet in the city of Antigua, Guatemala, in June 2022.

The coffee giant, which announced Laxman Narasimhan its new CEO at the start of September 2022, also plans to open its first store in Paraguay in 2023 via Alsea.

Mexico City-based Alsea also operates franchised stores of Starbucks in Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Uruguay, as well as across six European nations – Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain. It’s total Starbucks footprint is 1,591 outlets.