Starbucks To Expand In Japanese Market

Starbucks Coffee Co. will open up to 12 stores in Japan within the next 18 months under a new partnership with a Japanese company.

It will be Starbucks’ first expansion outside of North America. And the company has picked a country that loves coffee - Japan is the third-largest coffee consuming country in the world.

“The Starbucks specialty coffee retail shop is a new lifestyle concept that we believe Japanese consumers are ready to embrace,” said Yuji Tsunoda, president of Starbucks Coffee Japan Ltd.

Starbucks signed the agreement Wednesday with SAZABY Inc., a Japanese retailer and restaurateur.

SAZABY has more than 180 stores in Japan that sell a wide range of products it manufactures, including furniture, interior decorations, clothing and handbags.

The first coffee store will open next spring in Tokyo.