The opening of the store in Oldham, Manchester, coincides with Starbucks 25th anniversary in the UK | Photo credit: Starbucks

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Starbucks has opened its 20,000th store outside of North America with a driv-thru outlet in Manchester, UK.
 

The US coffee chain opened its first international store in Tokyo, Japan, in 1996 and entered the UK 25 years ago in September 1998.

With more than 37,500 stores across 86 markets globally, Starbucks’ largest market outside of North America is currently China, where it operates approximately 6,500 stores. The Seattle-based coffee chain also has a strong presence in South Korea and Japan, with approximately 1,800 Starbucks outlets respectively, and the UK, where it operates more than 1,150 sites. 

Starbucks has set goals to reach 45,000 stores globally by the end of 2025 and 55,000 by 2030. 

“I’m proud to celebrate Starbucks 20,000th store milestone internationally. As we look to the future, I am excited by the growth opportunities in front of us in both the UK and the EMEA region as we deepen our engagement with customers,” Michael Conway, Group President of International and Channel Development, Starbucks, told World Coffee Portal. 
 

The opening of the store in Oldham, Manchester, coincides with Starbucks celebrating its 25th anniversary in the UK. 

In a press release marking its 25th anniversary in the UK, Starbucks said it had maintained strong, double-digit sales growth in the UK despite high inflation and the cost-of-living crisis. The coffee chain is also making good progress in its plans to open 100 new stores in the UK this financial year, it added. 

“We are thrilled to welcome the Oldham community to our new store and our first in Oldham. Celebrating 25 years in the UK is a real privilege. Looking ahead, we are fully invested in the UK and giving back to the local communities we serve each day,” said Alex Rayner, Vice President and General Manager at Starbucks UK. 

Starbucks’ UK outlet growth will be driven by drive-thru locations with a focus on smaller format and digitally advanced stores. 

The Seattle-based coffee chain opened its first UK drive-thru store in 2008, with the format now accounting for nearly 25% of its sites in the country.