Starbucks is reportedly exploring a $2.5bn stake sale of its successful Japanese business. Global ambitions could explain why

The reports come just a few months after the world’s largest coffee chain completed a $4bn majority stake sale in China and unveiled a major new growth target

At its Investor Day in January 2026, Starbucks International CEO Brady Brewer outlined an ambitious goal to double the coffee chain’s international footprint. Speaking at the Evercore Consumer and Retail Conference in New York on 9 June 2026, Starbucks Chairman and CEO Brian Niccol reaffirmed his commitment to the plan.

Starbucks currently operates over 24,000 stores outside of the US, with China accounting for a third of that total. The Seattle-based coffee chain’s international business is forecast to grow twice as fast as in North America, according to Brewer, who highlighted a shift towards an asset-light franchise model abroad as key to driving expansion.