☒ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the Fiscal Year Ended October 1, 2023
or
☐TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the transition period from to .
Commission File Number: 000-20322
Starbucks Corporation
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)
Washington
91-1325671
(State of Incorporation)
(IRS Employer ID)
2401 Utah Avenue South, Seattle, Washington98134
(206) 447-1575
(Address of principal executive office, zip code, telephone number)
Securities Registered Pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of Each Class
Trading Symbol
Name of Each Exchange on Which Registered
Common Stock, $0.001 par value per share
SBUX
Nasdaq Global Select Market
Securities Registered Pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yesx No ¨
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ¨ Nox
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yesx No ¨
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yesx No ¨
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer
x
Accelerated filer
¨
Non-accelerated filer
¨
Smaller reporting company
☐
Emerging growth company
☐
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ¨
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management's assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. x
If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ¨
Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ¨
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes ☐ No x
The aggregate market value of the voting stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant as of the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, based upon the closing sale price of the registrant’s common stock on April 2, 2023 as reported on the Nasdaq Global Select Market was $117.1 billion. As of November 10, 2023, there were 1,136.7 million shares of the registrant’s Common Stock outstanding.
Portions of the definitive Proxy Statement for the registrant’s Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held on March 13, 2024 have been incorporated by reference into Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
This Annual Report on Form 10-K includes “forward-looking” statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 regarding future events and the future results of Starbucks Corporation (together with its subsidiaries) that are based on our current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections about our business, our results of operations, the industry in which we operate, our economic and market outlook, and the beliefs and assumptions of our management. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. They often include words such as “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “estimates,” “intends,” “plans,” “seeks” or words of similar meaning, or future or conditional verbs, such as “will,” “should,” “could,” “may,” “aims,” “intends,” or “projects.” By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties, and other factors (many beyond our control) that could cause our actual results to differ materially from our historical experience or from our current expectations or projections. Our forward-looking statements, and the risks and uncertainties related thereto, include, but are not limited to, those described under the “Risk Factors” and “Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” sections and in other reports we file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), as well as:
• our ability to preserve, grow and leverage our brands;
• the acceptance of the company’s products and changes in consumer preferences, consumption, or spending behavior and our ability to anticipate or react to them; shifts in demographic or health and wellness trends; or unfavorable consumer reaction to new products, platforms, reformulations, or other innovations;
• our anticipated operating expenses, including our anticipated total capital expenditures;
• the costs associated with, and the successful execution and effects of, our existing and any future business opportunities, expansions, initiatives, strategies, investments and plans, including our Reinvention Plan;
• the impacts of partner investments and changes in the availability and cost of labor including any union organizing efforts and our responses to such efforts;
• the ability of our business partners, suppliers and third-party providers to fulfill their responsibilities and commitments;
• higher costs, lower quality, or unavailability of coffee, dairy, energy, water, raw materials, or product ingredients;
• the impact of significant increases in logistics costs;
• a worsening in the terms and conditions upon which we engage with our manufacturers and source suppliers, whether resulting from broader local or global conditions, or dynamics specific to our relationships with such parties;
• unfavorable global or regional economic conditions and related economic slowdowns or recessions, low consumer confidence, high unemployment, weak credit or capital markets, budget deficits, burdensome government debt, austerity measures, higher interest rates, higher taxes, political instability, higher inflation, or deflation;
• inherent risks of operating a global business including geopolitical instability;
• failure to attract or retain key executive or partner talent or successfully transition executives;
• the potential negative effects of incidents involving food or beverage-borne illnesses, tampering, adulteration, contamination or mislabeling;
• negative publicity related to our company, products, brands, marketing, executive leadership, partners, board of directors, founder, operations, business performance, or prospects;
• potential negative effects of a material breach, failure, or corruption of our information technology systems or those of our direct and indirect business partners, suppliers or third-party providers, or failure to comply with personal data protection laws;
• our environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) efforts and any reaction related thereto such as the rise in opposition to ESG and inclusion and diversity efforts;
• risks associated with acquisitions, dispositions, business partnerships, or investments – such as acquisition integration, termination difficulties or costs or impairment in recorded value;
• the impact of foreign currency translation, particularly a stronger U.S. dollar;
• the impact of substantial competition from new entrants, consolidations by competitors, and other competitive activities, such as pricing actions (including price reductions, promotions, discounting, couponing, or free goods), marketing, category expansion, product introductions, or entry or expansion in our geographic markets;
• the impact of changes in U.S. tax law and related guidance and regulations that may be implemented, including on tax rates and the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022;
• the impact of health epidemics, pandemics or other public health events on our business and financial results, and the risk of negative economic impacts and related regulatory measures or voluntary actions that may be put in place, including restrictions on business operations or social distancing requirements, and the duration and efficacy of such restrictions;
• failure to comply with anti-corruption laws, trade sanctions and restrictions or similar laws or regulations; and
• the impact of significant legal disputes and proceedings, or government investigations.
In addition, many of the foregoing risks and uncertainties are, or could be, exacerbated by any worsening of the global business and economic environment. A forward-looking statement is neither a prediction nor a guarantee of future events or
circumstances, and those future events or circumstances may not occur. You should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this report. We are under no obligation to update or alter any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
In this Annual Report on Form 10-K (“10-K” or “Report”) for the fiscal year ended October 1, 2023 (“fiscal 2023”), Starbucks Corporation (together with its subsidiaries) is referred to as “Starbucks,” the “Company,” “we,” “us” or “our.”
Starbucks is the premier roaster, marketer and retailer of specialty coffee in the world, operating in 86 markets. Formed in 1985, Starbucks Corporation’s common stock trades on the Nasdaq Global Select Market (“Nasdaq”) under the symbol “SBUX.” We purchase and roast high-quality coffees that we sell, along with handcrafted coffee, tea and other beverages and a variety of high-quality food items through company-operated stores. We also sell a variety of coffee and tea products and license our trademarks through other channels, such as licensed stores as well as grocery and foodservice through our Global Coffee Alliance with Nestlé S.A. (“Nestlé”). In addition to our flagship Starbucks Coffee® brand, we sell goods and services under the following brands: Teavana®, Ethos®, Starbucks Reserve® and Princi®.
Our primary objective is to maintain Starbucks standing as one of the most recognized and respected brands in the world. We believe the continuous investments in our brand and operations will deliver long-term targeted revenue and income growth. This includes expansion of our global store base, adding stores in both existing, developed markets such as the U.S. and in higher growth markets such as China, as well as optimizing the mix of company-operated and licensed stores around the world. In addition, by leveraging experiences gained through our stores and elsewhere, we continue to drive beverage, equipment, process and technology innovation, including in our industry-leading digital platform. We strive to regularly offer consumers new, innovative coffee and other products in a variety of forms, across new categories, diverse channels and alternative store formats.
Starbucks has always been a different kind of company – one deep with purpose, where we work together to create a positive impact in the world. With coffee at our core, we pursue ambitious goals for our partners (employees), our communities and our planet, which we believe also contributes to the long-term sustainability of our business to create a thriving business powered by thriving people for a thriving planet and communities. Our work to uplift one another extends well beyond our partners to the communities where we do business around the world. We are committed to responsible and ethical sourcing led by Coffee and Farmer Equity Practices (C.A.F.E. Practices), the Company’s third-party verification program and the cornerstone of our approach to ethical sourcing of coffee with over 98% of our coffee having been historically verified through C.A.F.E. Practices as ethically sourced.
Human Capital Management
We invest in the well-being – the mental, physical and financial health – of every partner through our practices, policies and benefits. This work is grounded in the belief that we are at our best when we create inclusive, supportive and welcoming environments, where we uplift one another with dignity, respect and kindness. And we are hard at work uplifting our communities and building environments in our stores that are welcoming and safe. We believe the strength of our workforce is one of the significant contributors to our success as a global brand that leads with purpose. Therefore, one of our core strategies is to invest in and support our partners to differentiate our brand, products and services in the competitive specialty coffee market, including the following areas of focus:
Oversight and Management
We recognize the diversity of customers, partners and communities and believe in creating an inclusive and equitable environment that represents a broad spectrum of backgrounds and cultures. Working under these principles, our Partner Resources Organization is tasked with managing employment-related matters, including recruiting and hiring, onboarding and training, compensation planning, performance management and professional development. Our Board of Directors (the “Board”) and Board committees provide oversight on certain human capital matters, including our Inclusion and Diversity programs and initiatives. As noted in its charter, our Compensation and Management Development Committee is responsible for periodically reviewing Starbucks partner resource programs and initiatives, including healthcare and other benefits, as well as our management development and succession planning practices and strategies. Our Audit and Compliance Committee works closely with the Risk Management Committee, led by Starbucks cfo and general counsel, to monitor and mitigate current and emerging labor and human capital management risks. Furthermore, our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, in consultation with management, annually evaluates the effectiveness of our social responsibility policies, goals and programs, which also include partner-related issues. These reports and recommendations to the Board and its committees are part of the broader framework that guides how Starbucks should attract, retain and develop a skilled workforce that aligns with our values and strategies.
We regularly conduct anonymous surveys to seek feedback from our partners on a variety of topics, including confidence in company leadership, competitiveness of our compensation and benefits package, career growth opportunities and
recommendations on how we can remain an employer of choice. The results are shared with our partners and reviewed by senior leadership, who analyze areas of progress or deterioration and prioritize actions and activities in response to this feedback to drive meaningful improvements in partner engagement. Our management and cross-functional teams also work closely to evaluate human capital management issues such as partner retention, workplace safety, harassment and bullying, as well as to implement measures to mitigate these risks.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
We are committed to creating a welcoming, supportive and inclusive environment. We are committed to advancing inclusion and racial and social equity, and we seek to further that work with intention, transparency and accountability. We continue to welcome our partners, customers, civil rights and community leaders, along with our senior vice president, talent and inclusion, to advise us along this journey.
Starbucks has made specific equity commitments based on our principles of being intentional, transparent and accountable at all levels:
•Being intentional in cultivating a culture of inclusion, with a focus on partner retention and development.
◦Expanding our mentorship program designed to prioritize our partners’ sense of belonging by creating an inclusive and supportive environment. Mentors offer guidance, encouragement and a safe space for partners to share their experiences, challenges and aspirations. As of 2023, the program has welcomed nearly 1,400 partners and was expanded to include U.S. based store and district managers in 2023.
•Being transparent in our approach to Inclusion and Diversity goal setting and progress.
◦Publicly sharing workforce diversity data.
◦Setting aspirational Inclusion and Diversity goals based on retention rates and progress towards achieving racial and ethnic diversity. Our goal is to achieve racial and ethnic diversity of at least 30% of all corporate roles and at least 40% of all retail and manufacturing roles in the U.S. by 2025, by setting broad recruiting parameters and through inclusive and legally compliant employment practices.
•Holding ourselves accountable at the highest levels of the organization.
◦Incorporating our efforts to build and retain inclusive and diverse teams into our executive compensation programs.
◦Joining the Board Diversity Action Alliance to act alongside other companies similarly committed to increasing diverse representation on corporate boards.
◦Publicizing self-identified race/ethnicity/gender of each member of our Board.
Total Rewards
We have demonstrated a history of investing in our workforce by offering competitive salaries and wages by continuously assessing the current business environment and labor market. We have consistently made enhancements in wages in order to attract talent to support our growth strategy and to elevate the customer experience. To foster a stronger sense of ownership and align the interests of partners with shareholders, restricted stock units are provided to eligible non-executive partners under our broad-based stock incentive programs. Furthermore, we offer comprehensive, locally relevant and innovative benefits to all eligible partners. In the U.S., our largest and most mature market, these include:
•Comprehensive health insurance coverage is offered to partners working an average of 20 hours or more each week.
•100% upfront tuition coverage through the Starbucks College Achievement Plan for partners to earn a first-time bachelor's degree online at Arizona State University is offered to partners working an average of 20 hours or more each week.
•Our Future Roast 401(k) savings plan helps partners save for their financial goal through convenient payroll deductions. Partners can contribute pre-tax or Roth after-tax dollars, and Starbucks matches 5% of eligible contributions with immediate vesting in those matching contributions.
•100% paid parental leave is available to new parents that welcome a child through birth, adoption or foster placement and work an average of 20 hours or more each week.
•A Partner and Family Sick Time program is provided and allows partners to accrue paid sick time based on hours worked and use that time for themselves or family members in need of care.
•We view mental health as a fundamental part of our humanity and provide a comprehensive suite of related programs and benefits. These include a free subscription to Headspace, an online application that enables guided meditation, and 20 free mental health therapy or coaching sessions annually with Lyra.
Outside of the U.S., we have provided other innovative benefits to help address market-specific needs, such as providing interest-free loans to our U.K. partners to help cover rental deposits, mental health services in Canada, and in China, an extra 14th Month Pay initiative, giving retail partners an additional month’s salary as a bonus on top of the 13th month pay that is customary in China, as well as a monthly housing subsidy for full-time Starbucks baristas and shift supervisors, and comprehensive health insurance coverage for parents of partners.
Role-based Support
To help our partners succeed in their roles, we emphasize continuous training and development opportunities. These include, but are not limited to, safety and security protocols, updates on new products and service offerings and deployment of technologies. Training provided through our Pour Over sessions, which are a series of inspiring talks with thought leaders to help partners understand how to bring the Starbucks Experience to life, include a wide variety of topics such as achievable goal setting, giving and receiving constructive feedback, and effective engagement with customers and communities. To help further promote an inclusive culture and to better serve our customers, we encourage U.S.-based partners to enroll in the To Be Welcoming courses we created in partnership with Arizona State University to address different forms of bias and discrimination.
Pay Equity
To be an employer of choice and maintain the strength of our workforce, we consistently assess the current business environment and labor market to refine our compensation and benefits programs and other resources available to our partners.
We previously achieved and currently maintain 100 percent pay equity in the U.S. for women and men and people of all races for partners performing similar work. We have made a commitment to achieve gender pay equity in all company-operated markets. Further, we have formulated pay-equity principles which provide equal footing, transparency and accountability as best practices that help address known, systemic barriers to global pay equity.
As of October 1, 2023, Starbucks employed approximately 381,000 people worldwide. In the U.S., Starbucks employed approximately 228,000 people, with approximately 219,000 in company-operated stores and the remainder in corporate support, store development, roasting, manufacturing, warehousing and distribution operations. Approximately 153,000 employees were employed outside of the U.S., with approximately 148,000 in company-operated stores and the remainder in regional support operations. Approximately 3.6% of Starbucks partners in U.S. company-operated stores are represented by unions. We believe our efforts in managing our workforce have been effective, evidenced by improved retention, lower turnover, and employee satisfaction during fiscal 2023.
Information about our Executive Officers
Name
Age
Position
Laxman Narasimhan
56
chief executive officer
Michael Conway
57
group president, International and Channel Development
Sara Kelly
44
executive vice president and chief partner officer
Brad Lerman
67
executive vice president and general counsel
Rachel Ruggeri
54
executive vice president and chief financial officer
Laxman Narasimhan joined Starbucks as its chief executive officer-elect in 2022 and has served as chief executive officer and has been a Starbucks director since March 2023. Prior to joining Starbucks, Mr. Narasimhan served as Chief Executive Officer of Reckitt Benckiser Group Plc (“Reckitt”), a FTSE 12 listed British multinational consumer health, hygiene, and nutrition company, from 2019 to 2022. Prior to joining Reckitt, Mr. Narasimhan held various executive roles at PepsiCo from 2012 to 2019 including as PepsiCo’s Group Chief Commercial Officer and as Chief Executive Officer - Latin America, Europe, and Sub-Saharan Africa, Chief Executive Officer - Latin America, and Chief Financial Officer of PepsiCo Americas Foods. Prior to joining PepsiCo, Mr. Narasimhan spent 19 years at McKinsey & Company, where he focused on its consumer, retail, and technology practices in the U.S., Asia, and India. Mr. Narasimhan currently serves on the Board of Directors of Verizon Communications, Inc., a NYSE-listed telecommunications company. Mr. Narasimhan is a trustee of the Brookings Institution and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Michael Conway joined Starbucks in 2013 and was named group president, International and Channel Development in 2021, where he is responsible for leading Starbucks retail growth and operations in over 80 markets across Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean and growth for the Global Channel Development business, which consists of consumer packaged goods, ready-to-drink businesses and strategic partnerships, including those with Nestlé,
PepsiCo, and other key business partners. Prior to this, he served as executive vice president and president, International Licensed Markets, from 2020 to 2021. He also served as executive vice president and president of Starbucks Canada from 2018 to 2020, president of Starbucks Licensed Stores Operations for the United States and Latin America from 2016 to 2018, and president of Starbucks Global Channel Development from 2013 to 2016. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of McCormick & Company, Incorporated, a NYSE-listed a spice and extract manufacturing company.
Sara Kelly joined Starbucks in 2001 and was named executive vice president and chief partner officer in 2022, where she is responsible for helping partners realize their career potential and building global partner capability to enable growth and deliver on the Company’s strategic plan. Prior to her current role, Ms. Kelly was senior vice president, Talent & Partner Experience from 2021 to 2022, where she was responsible for advancing Starbucks talent and organizational leadership agenda and was focused on amplifying the strategic work being led by the talent acquisition, talent management, partner experience, learning and development, and organization and leadership effectiveness teams. From 2014 to 2021, Ms. Kelly served as vice president, Partner Resources, supporting partners in our global markets.
Brad Lerman joined Starbucks in April 2023 as executive vice president and general counsel. In this role, he leads the Company’s Legal and Corporate Affairs organization. Prior to Starbucks, Mr. Lerman served as senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary of Medtronic plc from 2014 to 2022; and prior to that he was an executive vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary for the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) from 2012 to 2014. Mr. Lerman has also served as chief litigation counsel for Pfizer and has worked in private practice as a partner at Winston & Strawn LLP in Chicago. He also served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Northern District of Illinois. Mr. Lerman currently serves on the Board of Directors of McKesson Corporation, a NYSE-listed health care, pharmaceutical, and medical supply company.
Rachel Ruggeri joined Starbucks in 2001 as a member of the accounting team and was named executive vice president and chief financial officer in 2021. In this leadership role, Rachel is responsible for the global finance function for Starbucks, which includes developing and executing the financial strategies that enable the long-term growth of the Company. Prior to her promotion in 2021, she served as senior vice president of Americas with responsibility for the retail portfolio across the segment, including company-operated and licensed stores from 2020 to 2021. From 2016 to 2020, she held various leadership roles in finance both internal and external to Starbucks, including Chief Financial Officer of Continental Mills from 2018 to 2020 and prior to that she was senior vice president of Finance at Starbucks in support of the Americas and Global Retail from 2016 to 2018. She also served as vice president of Finance from 2010 to 2016 supporting Corporate Financial Planning & Analysis and the U.S. Retail business.
Segment Financial Information
Segment information is prepared on the same basis that our management reviews financial information for operational decision-making purposes.
We have three reportable operating segments: 1) North America, which is inclusive of the U.S. and Canada; 2) International, which is inclusive of China, Japan, Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Latin America and Caribbean; and 3) Channel Development. Non-reportable operating segments and unallocated corporate expenses are reported within Corporate and Other. Revenues from our reportable operating segments as a percentage of total net revenues for fiscal 2023 were as follows: North America (74%), International (21%) and Channel Development (5%).
Our North America and International segments include both company-operated and licensed stores. Our North America segment is our most mature business and has achieved significant scale. Certain markets within our International operations are in various stages of development and may require more extensive support, relative to their current levels of revenue and operating income, than our North America operations.
Our Channel Development segment includes roasted whole bean and ground coffees, Starbucks- and Teavana-branded single-serve products, a variety of ready-to-drink beverages, such as Frappuccino® and Starbucks Doubleshot®, foodservice products and other branded products sold worldwide outside of our company-operated and licensed stores. A large portion of our Channel Development business operates under a licensed model of the Global Coffee Alliance with Nestlé, while our global ready-to-drink businesses operate under collaborative relationships with PepsiCo, Inc., Tingyi-Ashi Beverages Holding Co., Ltd., Arla Foods amba, Nestlé and others.
We generate the majority of our revenues through company-operated stores and licensed stores.
Company-operated and Licensed Store Summary as of October 1, 2023:
North America
As a % of Total North America Stores
International
As a % of Total International Stores
Total
As a % of Total Stores
Company-operated stores
10,628
60
%
8,964
44
%
19,592
52
%
Licensed stores
7,182
40
%
11,264
56
%
18,446
48
%
Total
17,810
100
%
20,228
100
%
38,038
100
%
The mix of company-operated versus licensed stores in a given market generally varies based on several factors, including our ability to access desirable local retail space, the complexity, profitability and expected ultimate size of the market for Starbucks and our ability to leverage the support infrastructure within a geographic region.
Company-operated Stores
Revenue from company-operated stores accounted for 82% of total net revenues during fiscal 2023. Our retail objective is to be the leading retailer and brand of coffee and tea in each of our target markets by selling the finest quality coffee, tea and related products, as well as complementary food offerings, and by providing each customer with a unique Starbucks Experience. The Starbucks Experience is built upon superior customer service, convenience and a seamless digital experience as well as safe, clean and well-maintained stores that reflect the personalities of the communities in which they operate, thereby building a high degree of customer loyalty.
Our strategy for expanding our global retail business is to increase our category share in a disciplined manner, by selectively opening additional stores in new and existing markets, as well as increasing sales in existing stores, to support our long-term strategic objective to maintain Starbucks standing as one of the most recognized and respected brands in the world. Store growth in specific existing markets will vary due to many factors, including expected financial returns, the maturity of the market, economic conditions, consumer behavior and the local business environment.
Company-operated store data for the fiscal year-ended October 1, 2023:
Stores Open
as of
Stores Open
as of
Oct 2, 2022
Opened
Closed
Transfers
Net
Oct 1, 2023
North America:
U.S.
9,265
483
(103)
—
380
9,645
Canada
946
43
(12)
—
31
977
Siren Retail
5
1
—
—
1
6
Total North America
10,216
527
(115)
—
412
10,628
International:
China
6,019
857
(72)
—
785
6,804
Japan
1,630
110
(8)
1
103
1,733
U.K.
318
42
(5)
—
37
355
All Other
65
3
(1)
—
2
67
Siren Retail
5
—
—
—
—
5
Total International
8,037
1,012
(86)
1
927
8,964
Total company-operated
18,253
1,539
(201)
1
1,339
19,592
Starbucks company-operated stores are typically located in high-traffic, high-visibility locations. Our ability to vary the size and format of our stores allows us to locate them in or near a variety of settings, including downtown and suburban retail centers, office buildings, university campuses and rural and off-highway locations. We are continuing the expansion of our stores, particularly drive-thru formats that provide a higher degree of access and convenience, and alternative store formats, which are designed to provide a more streamlined customer experience in dense metropolitan areas.
In fiscal 2022, we announced our plan in the U.S. market to increase efficiency while elevating the partner and customer experience (the “Reinvention Plan”). We believe the company-operated market investments in partner wages and trainings have
increased retention and productivity while the acceleration of purpose-built store concepts and innovations in technologies have provided additional convenience and connection with our customers. In our major international markets, we also continue to invest in technology and establish partnerships with third parties with relevant expertise to increase digital adoption to provide convenience and elevate the customer experience. Additionally, as our business has evolved, we have built an omni-channel business to meet more occasions as we serve a more diverse customer base through growth in online, e-commerce, delivery, mobile ordering and the in-store experience. In China, we leverage platforms such as Starbucks NowTM stores to enable a seamless integration of physical and digital customer touchpoints. Orders may be placed in advance through the Starbucks Mobile App or Starbucks DeliversTM and can be conveniently picked up by customers and delivery providers in these express retail format locations. These strategies align closely with rapidly evolving customer preferences, including higher levels of mobile ordering, more contactless pick-up experiences and reduced in-store congestion. Our investments in a digital third place offer members access to new benefits, a digital community and immersive coffee experiences, giving our customers new ways to experience and connect with Starbucks. We believe our continued efforts to transform our store portfolio and elevate technology will enhance the customer experience and position Starbucks for long-term growth.
Retail sales mix by product type for company-operated stores:
Fiscal Year Ended
Oct 1, 2023
Oct 2, 2022
Oct 3, 2021
Beverages
74
%
74
%
74
%
Food
22
%
22
%
21
%
Other(1)
4
%
4
%
5
%
Total
100
%
100
%
100
%
(1)“Other” primarily consists of sales of serveware, packaged and single-serve coffees and teas and ready-to-drink beverages, among other items.
Stored Value Cards and Loyalty Program
The Starbucks Card, our branded stored value card program, is designed to provide customers with a convenient payment method, support gifting and increase the frequency of store visits by cardholders, in part through the related Starbucks® Rewards loyalty program where available, as discussed below. Stored value cards are issued to customers when they initially load them with an account balance. They can be obtained in our company-operated and most licensed stores in North America, China, Japan and many of our other markets in our International segment. Stored value cards can also be obtained online, via the Starbucks® Mobile App and through other U.S. and international retailers. Customers may access their card balances by utilizing their stored value card or the Starbucks Mobile App in participating stores. In nearly all markets, including the U.S. and Canada, customers who register their Starbucks Cards are automatically enrolled in the Starbucks Rewards program. Registered members can receive various benefits depending on factors such as the number of reward points (“Stars”) earned. In addition to using their Starbucks Cards, Starbucks Rewards members can earn Stars by paying with cash, credit or debit cards, or selected mobile wallets at all company-operated stores and a majority of licensed stores in North America. Using the Mobile Order and Pay functionality of the Starbucks Mobile App, customers can also place orders in advance for pick-up at certain participating locations in several markets. Refer to Note 1, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies and Estimates, included in Item 8 of Part II of this 10-K, for further discussion of our stored value cards and loyalty program.
Licensed Stores
Revenues from our licensed stores accounted for 13% of total net revenues in fiscal 2023. Licensed stores generally have a lower gross margin and a higher operating margin than company-operated stores. Under the licensed model, Starbucks receives a margin on branded products and supplies sold to the licensed store operator along with a royalty on retail sales. Licensees are responsible for operating costs and capital investments, which more than offset the lower revenues we receive under the licensed store model.
In our licensed store operations, we seek to leverage the expertise of our local partners and share our operating and store development experience. Licensees provide improved, and at times the only, access to desirable retail space. Most licensees are prominent retailers with in-depth market knowledge and access. As part of these arrangements, we sell coffee, tea, food and related products to licensees for resale to customers and receive royalties and license fees from the licensees. We also sell certain equipment, such as coffee brewers and espresso machines, to our licensees for use in their operations. Licensee employees working in licensed retail locations are required to follow our detailed store operating procedures and attend training classes similar to those given to employees in company-operated stores. In a limited number of international markets, we also use traditional franchising and include these stores in the results of operations from our other licensed stores.
Licensed store data for the fiscal year-ended October 1, 2023:
Stores Open
as of
Stores Open
as of
Oct 2, 2022
Opened
Closed
Transfers
Net
Oct 1, 2023
North America:
U.S.
6,608
206
(113)
—
93
6,701
Canada
471
17
(7)
—
10
481
Total North America
7,079
223
(120)
—
103
7,182
International:
Korea
1,750
153
(33)
—
120
1,870
Latin America
1,549
108
(8)
—
100
1,649
U.K.
838
77
(4)
—
73
911
Turkey
604
81
(9)
—
72
676
Taiwan
544
30
(11)
—
19
563
Indonesia
523
58
—
—
58
581
Thailand
446
29
(1)
—
28
474
Philippines
418
29
—
—
29
447
All Other
3,707
469
(82)
(1)
386
4,093
Total International
10,379
1,034
(148)
(1)
885
11,264
Total licensed
17,458
1,257
(268)
(1)
988
18,446
Other Revenues
Other revenues primarily are recorded in our Channel Development segment and include sales of packaged coffee, tea and ready-to-drink beverages to customers outside of our company-operated and licensed stores, as well as royalties received from Nestlé under the Global Coffee Alliance and other collaborative partnerships.
Product Supply
Starbucks is committed to selling the finest whole bean coffees and coffee beverages. To help ensure compliance with our rigorous coffee standards, we generally control substantially all coffee purchasing, roasting and packaging and the global distribution of coffee used in our operations. Nestlé controls distribution of Starbucks packaged coffee products outside of Starbucks stores through the Global Coffee Alliance, and in some cases, also roasts and packages these products. We purchase green coffee beans from multiple coffee-producing regions around the world and custom roast them to our exacting standards for our many blends and single-origin coffees.
The price of coffee is subject to significant volatility. Although most coffee trades in the commodity market, high-altitude arabica coffee of the quality sought by Starbucks tends to trade on a negotiated basis at a premium above the “C” coffee commodity price. Both the premium and the commodity price depend upon the supply and demand at the time of purchase. Supply and price can be affected by multiple factors in the producing countries, including weather, water supply quality and availability throughout the coffee production chain, natural disasters, crop disease and pests, general increase in farm inputs and costs of production, inventory levels and political and economic conditions. Climate change may further exacerbate many of these factors. Price is also impacted by trading activities in the arabica coffee futures market, including hedge funds and commodity index funds. In addition, green coffee prices have been affected in the past, and may be affected in the future, by the actions of certain organizations and associations that have historically attempted to influence prices of green coffee through agreements establishing export quotas or by restricting coffee supplies.
We buy coffee using fixed-price and price-to-be-fixed purchase commitments, depending on market conditions, to secure an adequate supply of quality green coffee. We also utilize forward contracts, futures contracts and collars to hedge “C” price exposure under our price-to-be-fixed green coffee contracts and our long-term forecasted coffee demand where underlying fixed-price and price-to-be-fixed contracts are not yet available. Total purchase commitments, together with existing inventory, are expected to provide an adequate supply of green coffee through fiscal 2024.
We depend upon our relationships with coffee producers, outside trading companies and exporters for our supply of green coffee. We believe, based on relationships established with our suppliers, the risk of non-delivery on such purchase commitments is remote.
To help ensure the future supply of high-quality green coffee and to reinforce our leadership role in the coffee industry, Starbucks operates ten farmer support centers, including our China Farmer Support Center located in the Yunnan Province of this high-growth market. Farmer support centers are staffed with agronomists and sustainability experts who work with coffee farming communities to promote best practices in coffee production designed to improve both coffee quality and yields and agronomy support to address climate change and other impacts.
In addition to coffee, we also purchase significant amounts of dairy, particularly fluid milk, and to a lesser degree, plant-based dairy-free alternative products, such as oat milk and almond milk, to support the needs of our company-operated stores. We believe, based on relationships established with our dairy and plant-based dairy-free suppliers, that the risk of non-delivery of sufficient fluid milk and plant-based dairy-free alternatives to support our stores generally is remote.
Products other than whole bean coffees and coffee beverages sold in Starbucks stores include tea and a number of ready-to-drink beverages that are purchased from several specialty suppliers, usually under long-term supply contracts. Food products, such as pastries, breakfast sandwiches and lunch items, are purchased from national, regional and local sources. We also purchase a broad range of paper and plastic products, such as cups and cutlery, from several companies to support the needs of our retail stores as well as our manufacturing and distribution operations. We are also expanding our use of reusable packaging to reduce landfill waste. We believe, based on relationships established with these suppliers and manufacturers, that the risk of non-delivery of sufficient amounts of these items generally is remote.
Competition
Our primary competitors for coffee beverage sales are specialty coffee retailers and shops. We believe that our customers choose among specialty coffee retailers and shops primarily on the basis of product quality, brand reputation, service and convenience, as well as price. We continue to experience direct competition from large competitors in the quick-service restaurant sector and the ready-to-drink coffee beverage market, in addition to both well-established and start-up companies in many international markets. We also compete with restaurants and other specialty retailers for prime retail locations and qualified personnel to operate both new and existing stores.
Our coffee and tea products sold through our Channel Development segment compete directly against specialty coffees and teas sold through grocery stores, warehouse clubs, specialty retailers, convenience stores and foodservice accounts and compete indirectly against all other coffees and teas on the market.
Trademarks, Copyrights, Patents and Domain Names
Starbucks owns and has applied to register numerous trademarks and service marks in the U.S. and in other countries throughout the world. Some of our trademarks, including Starbucks, the Starbucks logo, Starbucks Reserve and Frappuccino are of material importance. The duration of trademark registrations varies from country to country. However, trademarks are generally valid and may be renewed indefinitely as long as they are in use and/or their registrations are properly maintained.
We own numerous copyrights for items such as product packaging, promotional materials, in-store graphics and training materials. We also hold patents on certain products, systems and designs which have an average remaining useful life of approximately five years. In addition, Starbucks has registered and maintains numerous Internet domain names, including “Starbucks.com,” “Starbucks.net” and “Starbucksreserve.com.”
Seasonality and Quarterly Results
Our business is subject to moderate seasonal fluctuations, of which our second fiscal quarter typically experiences lower revenues and operating income. Additionally, as Starbucks Cards are issued to and loaded by customers during the holiday season, we tend to have higher cash flows from operations during the first quarter of the fiscal year. However, since revenues from Starbucks Cards are recognized upon redemption and not when cash is loaded onto the Card, the impact of seasonal fluctuations on the consolidated statements of earnings is much less pronounced. As a result of moderate seasonal fluctuations, results for any quarter are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be achieved for the full fiscal year.
Government Regulation
As a company with global operations, we are subject to the laws and regulations of the United States and the multiple foreign jurisdictions in which we operate as well as the rules, reporting obligations and interpretations of all such requirements and obligations by various governing bodies, which may differ among jurisdictions. In addition, changes to such laws, regulations, rules, reporting obligations and related compliance obligations could result in significant costs but are not expected to have a material effect on our capital expenditures, results of operations and competitive position as compared to prior periods.
Starbucks Annual Report on Form 10-K reports, along with all other reports and amendments filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), are publicly available free of charge on the Investor Relations section of our website at investor.starbucks.com as soon as reasonably practicable after these materials are filed with or furnished to the SEC. In addition, the SEC maintains an internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC at www.sec.gov. We also use our website as a tool to disclose important information about the company and comply with our disclosure obligations under Regulation Fair Disclosure. Our corporate governance policies, code of ethics and Board committee charters and policies are also posted on the Investor Relations section of Starbucks website. The information on our website (or any webpages referenced in this Annual Report on Form 10-K) is not part of this or any other report Starbucks files with, or furnishes to, the SEC.
Item 1A. Risk Factors
You should carefully consider the risks described below in addition to the other information set forth in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including the Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Conditions and Results of Operations section, the Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk section and the consolidated financial statements and related notes. If any of the risks and uncertainties described in the cautionary factors described below actually occur or continue to occur, our business, financial condition and results of operations and the trading price of our common stock could be materially and adversely affected. The considerations and risks that follow are organized within relevant headings but may be relevant to other headings as well. Moreover, the risks below are not the only risks we face and additional risks not currently known to us or that we presently deem immaterial may emerge or become material at any time and may negatively impact our business, reputation, financial condition, results of operations or the trading price of our common stock. It is not possible for management to predict all such risks, nor can it assess the impact of all such risks on Starbucks business or the extent to which any risk, or combination of risks, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Given these risks and uncertainties, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results.
Risks Related to Brand Relevance and Brand Execution
•Our success depends substantially on the value of our brands and failure to preserve their value could have a negative impact on our financial results.
We believe we have built an excellent reputation globally for the quality of our products, for delivery of a consistently positive consumer experience and for our global social and environmental impact programs. The Starbucks brand is recognized throughout most of the world, and we have received high ratings in global brand value studies. To be successful in the future, particularly outside of the U.S. where the Starbucks brand and our other brands are less well-known, we believe we must preserve, grow and leverage the value of our brands across all sales channels. Brand value is based in part on consumer perceptions on a variety of subjective qualities.
Erosion of trust in our brand value can be caused by isolated or recurring incidents originating both from us or our business partners, or from external events. Such incidents can potentially trigger boycotts of our stores or result in civil or criminal liability and can have a negative impact on our financial results. Incidents that can erode trust in our brand value include actual or perceived breaches of privacy or violations of domestic or international privacy laws, contaminated food, product recalls, store employees or other food handlers infected with communicable diseases, safety-related incidents or other potential incidents discussed in this risk factors section. The impact of such incidents may be exacerbated if they receive considerable publicity, including rapidly through social or digital media (including for malicious reasons) or result in litigation. Consumer demand for our products and our brand value could diminish significantly if we, our employees, licensees or other business partners fail to preserve the quality of our products, act or are perceived to act in an unethical, illegal, racially-biased, unequal, inequitable or socially irresponsible manner, including with respect to the sourcing, content or sale of our products, service and treatment of customers at Starbucks stores, treatment of employees, including our responses to unionization efforts, or the use of customer data for general or direct marketing or other purposes. Furthermore, if we are not effective in making sufficient progress toward our social and environmental program goals or in executing on our Reinvention Plan, consumer trust in our brand may suffer, and this perception could result in negative publicity or litigation. Additionally, if we fail to comply with laws and regulations, take controversial positions or actions or fail to deliver a consistently positive consumer experience in each of our markets, including by failing to invest in the right balance of wages and benefits to attract and retain employees that represent the brand well or to foster an inclusive and diverse environment, our brand value may be diminished.
The ongoing relevance of our brand may depend on making sufficient progress toward our social and environmental program goals as well as the successful execution of the Reinvention Plan, each of which requires company-wide coordination and alignment. We are working to manage risks and costs to us, our licensees and our supply chain of any effects of climate change as well as diminishing energy and water resources. These risks include any increased public focus, including by governmental
and nongovernmental organizations, on these and other environmental sustainability matters, including packaging and waste, animal health and welfare, deforestation and land use. These risks may also include any increased pressure to make commitments or set goals and take actions to meet them, which could expose us to market, operational and execution costs or risks. Some third parties may object to the scope or nature of our social and environmental program initiatives or goals, or any revisions to these initiatives or goals, which could give rise to negative responses by governmental actors (such as retaliatory legislative treatment) or consumers (such as boycotts or negative publicity campaigns) that could adversely affect our brand value.
•We may not be successful in our marketing, promotional and advertising plans and pricing strategies.
Our continued success depends in part on our ability to adjust our marketing, promotional and advertising plans and pricing strategy to respond quickly and effectively to shifting economic and competitive conditions as well as evolving customer preferences. We operate in a complex and costly marketing, promotional and advertising environment. Competition to attract and retain high-quality marketing partners and endorsers has increased. Our decisions to collaborate or to cease collaborating with certain endorsers or marketing partners in light of actions taken or statements made by them could seriously harm our brand image with consumers and, as a result, could have an adverse effect on our sales and financial condition. Our marketing, promotional and advertising programs may not be successful in reaching consumers in the way we intend. Our success depends in part on whether the allocation of our advertising, promotional and marketing resources across different channels, including digital, allows us to reach consumers effectively and efficiently, and in ways that are meaningful to them. If the advertising, promotional and marketing programs or our pricing strategies are not successful, or are not as successful as those of our competitors, our sales and market share could decrease.
Finally, consumers are focusing more on sustainability and the environmental impacts of operations, as well as the alignment of Starbucks actions with its stated mission, values and promises. An inability to meet consumer expectations with respect to these issues could adversely affect our financial results.
Risks Related to Our Business
•If our business partners and third-party providers do not satisfactorily fulfill their responsibilities and commitments, it could damage our brand and our financial results could suffer.
Our global business strategy, including our plans for new stores, branded products and other initiatives, relies significantly on a variety of business partners, including licensee and joint venture relationships, third-party manufacturers, distributors and retailers, particularly for our entire global Channel Development business. Licensees, retailers and foodservice operators are often authorized to use our logos and provide branded food, beverage and other products directly to customers. We believe our customers expect the same quality of service regardless of whether they visit a licensed or company-operated store, so we provide training and support to, and monitor the operations of, certain of these licensees and other business partners. However, the product quality and service they deliver may still be diminished by any number of factors beyond our control, including financial constraints or solvency, adherence to sanitation protocols and guidance, labor shortages and other factors. We do not have direct control over our business partners and may not have visibility into their practices.
We also source our food, beverage and other products from a wide variety of domestic and international business partners, and in certain cases such products are produced or sourced by our licensees directly. We do not monitor the quality of non-Starbucks products served by foodservice operators we have authorized to use our logos and provide branded products as part of their foodservice business. Additionally, inconsistent uses of our brand and other of our intellectual property assets, as well as failure to protect our intellectual property, can erode consumer trust and our brand value and have a material negative impact on our financial results.
•Incidents involving food or beverage-borne illnesses, tampering, adulteration, contamination or mislabeling, whether or not accurate, as well as adverse public or medical opinions about the health effects of consuming our products, could harm our business.
Instances or reports, whether true or not, of unclean water supply or food-safety issues, such as food or beverage-borne illnesses, tampering, adulteration, contamination or mislabeling, either during growing, manufacturing, packaging, storing or preparation, have in the past severely injured the reputations of companies in the food and beverage processing, grocery and quick-service restaurant sectors. Any report linking us to such instances could severely hurt our sales and could possibly lead to product liability claims, litigation (including class actions), temporary store closures, or other adverse consequences. Clean water is critical to the preparation of coffee, tea and other beverages, as well as ice for our cold beverages, and our ability to ensure adequate supplies of clean water and ice to our stores can be limited, particularly in some international locations. We are also continuing to incorporate more products in our food and beverage lineup that require freezing or refrigeration, which increases the risk of food safety related incidents if correct temperatures are not maintained due to mechanical malfunction or human error.
We also face risk by relying on third-party food suppliers to provide and transport ingredients and finished products to our stores. The product quality and service they deliver may be diminished by any number of factors beyond our control and it may be difficult to detect contamination or other defects in these products. There is greater risk from those we do not monitor, or do not monitor as closely. Furthermore, stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, there are stricter health regulations and guidelines and increased public concern over food safety standards and controls. Potential food safety incidents, whether at our stores or involving our business partners, could lead to wide public exposure, which could materially harm our business.
In addition, instances of food or beverage-safety issues, even those involving solely the restaurants or stores of competitors or of suppliers or distributors (regardless of whether we use or have used those suppliers or distributors), could adversely affect our sales on a regional or global basis by resulting in negative publicity about us or the foodservice industry in general. A decrease in customer traffic as a result of food-safety concerns or negative publicity, or as a result of a temporary closure of any of our stores, product recalls, viral-contaminated food or beverage claims or other food or beverage-safety claims or litigation, could materially harm our business and results of operations.
•We may not be successful in implementing important strategic initiatives or effectively managing growth, which may have an adverse impact on our business and financial results.
There is no assurance that we will be able to implement important strategic initiatives in accordance with our expectations or that they will generate expected returns, which may result in an adverse impact on our business and financial results. These strategic initiatives, which include our Reinvention Plan, are designed to create growth, improve our results of operations and drive long-term shareholder value, and include:
•being an employer of choice and investing in employees to deliver a superior customer experience;
•building our leadership position around coffee;
•driving convenience, brand engagement and digital relationships through our mobile, loyalty, delivery and digital capabilities both domestically and internationally;
•simplifying store administrative tasks to allow store partners to better engage with customers;
•increasing the scale of the Starbucks store footprint with disciplined global expansion and introducing flexible and unique store formats, including the accelerated development of alternative store formats (such as Starbucks Pickup stores, Starbucks Now stores and curbside pickup);
•adjusting rapidly to changing customer preferences and behaviors as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, changing economic conditions, increased global interest rates and inflation;
•moving to a more licensed store model in certain markets and a more company-operated model in other markets;
•creating new occasions in stores across all dayparts with new product offerings, including our growing lunch food and beverage product lineup;
•continuing the global growth of our Channel Development business through our supply, distribution and licensing agreements with Nestlé and other Channel Development business partners;
•delivering continued growth in our cold beverage business;
•working to address the potential effects of climate change and the sustainability of our business; and
•reducing our operating costs, particularly general and administrative expenses.
In addition to other factors listed in this risk factors section, factors that may adversely affect the successful implementation of these initiatives, which could have a material adverse impact on our business and financial results, include the following:
•imposition of additional taxes by jurisdictions, such as on certain types of beverages or based on number of employees;
•construction cost increases associated with new store openings and remodeling of existing stores; delays in store openings for reasons beyond our control, such as potential shortages of materials and labor and delays in permits, or a lack of desirable real estate locations available for lease at reasonable rates, either of which could keep us from meeting annual store opening targets in the U.S. and internationally;
•governmental regulations or other health guidelines concerning operations of stores, including due to public health emergencies;
•not successfully scaling our supply chain infrastructure as our product offerings increase and as we continue to expand, including our emphasis on a broad range of high-quality food offerings;
•not successfully adapting to customer or market factors affecting our supply chain as we work to address sustainability and climate change;
•the deterioration in our credit ratings, which could limit the availability of additional financing and increase the cost of obtaining financing to fund our initiatives; and
•geopolitical instability and international conflicts.
Effectively managing growth can be challenging, particularly as we continue to expand in international markets where we must balance the need for flexibility and a degree of autonomy for local management against the need for consistency with our goals, policies and standards. If we are not successful in implementing our strategic initiatives, or, in the event we undertake large acquisitions, integrations and divestitures, we may be required to evaluate whether certain assets, including goodwill and other intangibles, have become impaired. In the event we record an impairment charge, it could have a material impact on our financial results.
•Evolving consumer preferences and tastes may adversely affect our business.
Our continued success depends on our ability to attract and retain customers. Our financial results could be adversely affected by a shift in consumer spending away from outside-the-home food and beverages (such as a reduction in discretionary spending as a result of the resumption of student loan payments); lack of customer acceptance of new products (including due to price increases necessary to cover the costs of new products or higher input costs), brands (such as the global expansion of the Starbucks brand) and platforms (such as features of our mobile technology, changes in our loyalty rewards programs and our delivery services initiatives); or customers reducing their demand for our current offerings as new products are introduced. In addition, some of our products contain caffeine, dairy products, sugar and other compounds and allergens, the health effects of which are the subject of public and regulatory scrutiny, including the suggestion of linkages to a variety of adverse health effects. Particularly in the U.S., there is increasing consumer awareness of health risks, including obesity, as well as increased consumer litigation based on alleged adverse health impacts of consumption of various food and beverage products. An unfavorable report on the health effects of caffeine or other compounds present in our products, whether accurate or not, imposition of additional taxes on certain types of food and beverage components, or negative publicity or litigation arising from certain health risks could significantly reduce the demand for our beverages and food products and could materially harm our business and results of operations. Our financial results have been, and could continue to be, adversely affected by changes in macroeconomic conditions, including increases in real estate costs in certain domestic and international markets, inflationary pressures and changes in prevailing interest rates, disruptions to our supply chain, changes in governmental rules and approaches to taxation, and fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates. Such changes could affect consumer behavior and their ability or willingness to spend discretionary income on our products. Furthermore, our financial results have been and could continue to be adversely affected by the persisting impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the disruption of customer routines, changes to employer “work-from-home” policies and changes in consumer behavior and the ability or willingness to spend discretionary income on our products.
Risks Related to Operating a Global Business
•We are highly dependent on the financial performance of our North America operating segment.
Our financial performance is highly dependent on our North America operating segment, which comprised approximately 74% of consolidated total net revenues in fiscal year 2023. If the North America operating segment revenue trends slow or decline, especially in our U.S. market, our other segments may be unable to make up any significant shortfall and our business and financial results could be adversely affected. And because the North America segment is relatively mature and produces the large majority of our operating cash flows, such a slowdown or decline could result in reduced cash flows for funding the expansion of our international businesses and other initiatives and for returning cash to shareholders.
•We are increasingly dependent on the success of certain international markets in order to achieve our growth targets.
Our future growth increasingly depends on the growth and sustained profitability of certain international markets. Some or all of our international market business units (“MBUs”), which we generally define by the countries in which they operate, may not be successful in their operations or in achieving expected growth, which ultimately requires achieving consistent, stable net revenues and earnings. The performance of these international operations may be adversely affected by economic downturns in one or more of the countries in which our large MBUs operate. A decline in performance of one or more of our significant international MBUs could have a material adverse impact on our consolidated results.
The International segment is a significant profit center driving our global returns, along with our North America segment. In particular, our China MBU contributes meaningfully to both consolidated and International net revenues and operating income. China is expected to be our fastest growing market in terms of percentage growth, our second largest market overall and 100% company-owned. Due to the significance of our China market for our profit and growth, we are exposed to risks in China, including the risks mentioned elsewhere and the following:
•the effects of current U.S.-China relations, including rounds of tariff increases and retaliations and increasing restrictive regulations, potential boycotts and increasing anti-Americanism;
•escalating U.S.-China tension and increasing political sensitivities in China;
•the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and related governmental regulations and restrictions on our operations in China;
•entry of new competitors to the specialty coffee market in China;
•changes in economic conditions in China and potential negative effects to the growth of its middle class, wages, labor, inflation, discretionary spending and real estate and supply chain costs;
•ongoing government regulatory reform, including relating to public health, food safety, tariffs and tax, sustainability and responses to climate change, which result in regulatory uncertainty as well as potential significant increases in compliance costs;
•data-privacy and cybersecurity risks unique to the conduct of business in China; and
•food-safety related matters, including compliance with food-safety regulations and ability to ensure product quality and safety.
Additionally, some factors that will be critical to the success of our international operations overall are different than those affecting our U.S. stores and licensees. Tastes naturally vary by region, and consumers in some MBUs may not embrace our products to the same extent as consumers in the U.S. or other international markets. Occupancy costs and store operating expenses can be higher internationally than in the U.S. due to higher rents for prime store locations or costs of compliance with country-specific regulatory requirements. Because many of our international operations are in an early phase of development, operating expenses as a percentage of related revenues are often higher compared to more developed operations.
•We face risks as a global business that could adversely affect our financial performance.
We operate in 86 markets globally. Our international operations are also subject to additional inherent risks of conducting business abroad, such as:
•foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations, or requirements to transact in specific currencies;
•changes or uncertainties in economic, legal, regulatory, social and political conditions in our markets, as well as negative effects on U.S. businesses due to increasing anti-American sentiment in certain markets;
•interpretation and application of laws and regulations, including tax, tariffs, labor, merchandise, anti-bribery and privacy laws and regulations;
•restrictive actions of foreign or U.S. governmental authorities affecting trade and foreign investment, especially during periods of heightened tension between the U.S. and such foreign governmental authorities, including protective measures such as export and customs duties and tariffs, government intervention favoring local competitors and restrictions on the level of foreign ownership;
•import or other business licensing requirements;
•the enforceability of intellectual property and contract rights;
•limitations on the repatriation of funds and foreign currency exchange restrictions due to current or new U.S. and international regulations;
•in developing economies, the growth rate in the portion of the population achieving sufficient levels of disposable income may not be as fast as we forecast;
•difficulty in staffing, developing and managing foreign operations and supply chain logistics, including ensuring the consistency of product quality and service, due to governmental actions affecting supply chain logistics, distance, language and cultural differences, as well as challenges in recruiting and retaining high-quality employees in local markets;
•local laws that make it more expensive and complex to negotiate with, retain or terminate employees;
•local regulations, health guidelines and safety protocols affecting our operations; and
•delays in store openings for reasons beyond our control, competition with locally relevant competitors or a lack of desirable real estate locations available for lease at reasonable rates, any of which could keep us from meeting annual store opening targets and, in turn, negatively impact net revenues, operating income and earnings per share.
Moreover, many of the foregoing risks are particularly acute in developing countries, which are important to our long-term growth prospects. An inability to manage effectively the risks associated with our international operations could adversely affect our business and financial results.
•Our reliance on key business partners may adversely affect our business and operations.
The growth of our business relies on the ability of our licensee partners to implement our growth platforms and product innovations as well as on the degree to which we are able to enter into, maintain, develop and negotiate appropriate terms and conditions of, and enforce, commercial and other agreements and the performance of our business partners under such agreements. Our international licensees may face capital constraints or other factors that may limit the speed at which they are able to expand and develop in a certain market. Our Channel Development business is heavily reliant on Nestlé, which has the right to sell and distribute our packaged goods and foodservice products to retailers and operators, with few exceptions. If Nestlé fails to perform its distribution and marketing commitments under our agreements and/or fails to support, protect and grow our brand in Channel Development, our Channel Development business could be adversely impacted for a period of time, present long-term challenges to our brand, limit our ability to grow our Channel Development business and have a material adverse impact on our business and financial results. Additionally, the growth of our Channel Development business is in part dependent on the level of discretionary support provided by our retail and licensed store businesses.
There are generally a relatively small number of licensee partners operating in specific markets. If they are not able to access sufficient funds or financing, or are otherwise unable or unwilling to successfully operate and grow their businesses, it could have a material adverse effect on our results in the applicable markets.
Risks Related to Supply Chain
•Increases in the cost of high-quality arabica coffee beans or other commodities or decreases in the availability of high-quality arabica coffee beans or other commodities could have an adverse impact on our business and financial results.
The availability and prices of coffee beans and other commodities are subject to significant volatility. We purchase, roast and sell high-quality whole bean arabica coffee beans and related coffee products. The high-quality arabica coffee of the quality we seek tends to trade on a negotiated basis at a premium above the “C” price. This premium depends upon the supply and demand at the time of purchase and the amount of the premium can vary significantly. Increases in the “C” coffee commodity price increase the price of high-quality arabica coffee and also impact our ability to enter into fixed-price purchase commitments. We frequently enter into supply contracts whereby the quality, quantity, delivery period and other negotiated terms are agreed upon, but the date, and therefore price, at which the base “C” coffee commodity price component will be fixed has not yet been established.
The supply and price of coffee we purchase can also be affected by multiple factors in the producing countries, such as weather, water supply quality and availability throughout the coffee production chain, natural disasters, crop disease and pests, general increase in farm inputs and costs of production, inventory levels, political and economic conditions and the actions of certain organizations and associations that have historically attempted to influence prices of green coffee through agreements establishing export quotas or by restricting coffee supplies. Climate change may further exacerbate many of these factors. Speculative trading in coffee commodities can also influence coffee prices. For example, extreme weather conditions such as drought or frost in Brazil have impacted coffee prices in the past, and in the likely event that such weather conditions were to reoccur in the future, they would have similar consequences on coffee price volatility. Because of the significance of coffee beans to our operations, combined with our ability to only partially mitigate future price risk through purchasing practices and hedging activities, increases in the cost of high-quality arabica coffee beans could have a material adverse impact on our profitability. In addition, if we are not able to purchase sufficient quantities of green coffee due to any of the above factors or due to a worldwide or regional shortage, we may not be able to fulfill the demand for our coffee, which could have a material adverse impact on our business operations and financial performance.
We also purchase significant amounts of dairy products, particularly fluid milk, and to a lesser degree, plant-based dairy-free alternative products, such as oat milk and almond milk, to support the needs of our company-operated retail stores. Additionally, other commodities, including tea and those related to food and beverage inputs, such as cocoa, produce, baking ingredients, meats, eggs and energy, as well as the processing of these inputs, are important to our operations. Increases in the cost of dairy products and other commodities, or lack of availability, whether due to supply shortages, delays or interruptions in processing, or otherwise, especially in international markets, could have a material adverse impact on our profitability. Similarly, increases in the cost of, or lack of availability, whether due to supply shortages, delays or interruptions in the processing of plant-based alternatives could have a material adverse impact on our profitability.
•Interruption of our supply chain could affect our ability to produce or deliver our products and could negatively impact our business and profitability.
Any material interruption in our supply chain, such as material interruption of roasted coffee supply due to the casualty loss of any of our roasting plants, interruptions in service by our third-party logistic service providers or common carriers that ship goods within our distribution channels, trade restrictions, such as increased tariffs or quotas, embargoes or customs restrictions, pandemics, social or labor unrest, labor shortages, natural disasters or political disputes and military conflicts that cause a material disruption in our supply chain could have a negative material impact on our business and our profitability. Additionally, our food, beverage and other products are sourced from a wide variety of domestic and international business partners in our supply chain operations, and in certain cases are produced or sourced by our licensees directly. We rely on these suppliers to provide high-quality products and to comply with applicable laws. Our ability to find qualified suppliers who meet our standards and supply products in a timely and efficient manner is a significant challenge as we increase our fresh and prepared food offerings, especially with respect to goods sourced from outside the U.S. and from countries or regions with diminished infrastructure, developing or failing economies or which are experiencing political instability or social unrest. For certain products, we may rely on one or very few suppliers. A supplier's failure to meet our standards, provide products in a timely and efficient manner or comply with applicable laws is beyond our control. These issues could have a material negative impact on our business and profitability.
Risks Related to Macroeconomic Conditions
•Our financial condition and results of operations are subject to, and may be adversely affected by, a number of macroeconomic and other factors, many of which are also largely outside our control.
Our operating results have been in the past and will continue to be subject to a number of macroeconomic and other factors, many of which are largely outside our control. Any one or more of the factors listed below or described elsewhere in this risk factors section could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and/or results of operations:
•increases in real estate costs in certain domestic and international markets;
•inflationary pressures and changes in prevailing interest rates;
•disruptions to our supply chain;
•changes in governmental rules and approaches to taxation;
•fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates;
•adverse outcomes of litigation;
•severe weather or other natural or man-made disasters affecting a large market or several closely located markets that may temporarily but significantly affect our retail business in such markets;
•changes in climate, including changes to the frequency or severity of extreme weather events, that impact the price and availability or cost of goods and services, energy and other materials throughout our supply chain; and
•especially in our largest markets, including the U.S. and China, labor discord or disruption, geopolitical events, war, terrorism (including incidents targeting us), political instability, acts of public violence, boycotts, increasing anti-American sentiment in certain markets, hostilities and social unrest and health pandemics that lead to avoidance of public places or restrictions on public gatherings such as in our stores.
Unfavorable economic conditions could also adversely affect our suppliers and licensees, who in turn could experience cash flow problems, more costly or unavailable financing, credit defaults and other financial hardships. This could lead to supplier or licensee insolvency, increase our bad debt expense, or cause us to increase the levels of unsecured credit that we provide to suppliers and licensees. Further, if any of our licensees becomes insolvent this could result in our exit from a particular market, and negatively impact our reputation. For example, one of our licensees is experiencing financial solvency issues, which may require the Company to expend capital resources to help fund their operating expenses in the short term.
•Economic conditions in the U.S. and international markets could adversely affect our business and financial results.
As a retailer that is dependent upon consumer discretionary spending, our results of operations are sensitive to changes in or uncertainty about macroeconomic conditions. A continued economic downturn or recession, or slowing or stalled recovery therefrom, may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. Our customers may have or in the future have less money for discretionary purchases and may stop or reduce their purchases of our products or switch to Starbucks or competitors’ lower-priced products as a result of various factors, including job losses, inflation, changes in prevailing interest rates, higher taxes, reduced access to credit, changes in federal economic policy, a global health pandemic, international trade disputes or geopolitical instability. We may also experience a reduction and increased volatility in demand for our products in connection with a global health pandemic. For example, in China, reductions and continuing volatility in that market may be caused by, among other things: store closures or modified operating hours and business model, reduced customer traffic due to illness, quarantine or government or self-imposed restrictions placed on our stores’ operations, impacts
caused by precautionary measures such as those related to face coverings and vaccinations and changes in consumer spending behaviors, including those caused by social distancing, a decrease in consumer confidence in general macroeconomic conditions and a decrease in consumer discretionary spending. Decreases in customer traffic and/or average value per transaction without a corresponding decrease in costs would put downward pressure on margins and would negatively impact our financial results. There is also a risk that if negative economic conditions or uncertainty persist for a long period of time or worsen, consumers may make long-lasting changes to their discretionary purchasing behavior, including less frequent discretionary purchases on a more permanent basis or enduring changes in behavior that precipitate a more general downturn in the restaurant industry. These and other macroeconomic factors could have an adverse effect on our sales, profitability or development plans, which could harm our results of operations and financial condition.
•Failure to meet market expectations for our financial performance and fluctuations in the stock market as a whole will likely adversely affect the market price and volatility of our stock.
Failure to meet market expectations going forward, particularly with respect to our operational and financial results, and expectations regarding the success of our Reinvention Plan and related guidance, environmental performance and shareholder returns, will likely result in a decline and/or increased volatility in the market price of our stock. In addition, price and volume fluctuations in the stock market as a whole may affect the market price of our stock in ways that may be unrelated to our financial performance.
Risks Related to Human Capital
•Changes in the availability of and the cost of labor could adversely affect our business.
Our business could be adversely impacted by increases in labor costs, including wages and benefits, which, in a retail business such as ours, are two of our most significant costs, both domestically and internationally, including those increases triggered by state and federal legislation and regulatory actions regarding wages, scheduling and benefits; increased healthcare and workers’ compensation insurance costs; and increased wages and costs of other benefits necessary to attract and retain high-quality employees with the right skill sets. The growth of our business can make it increasingly difficult to locate and hire sufficient numbers of employees, to maintain an effective system of internal controls for a globally dispersed enterprise and to train employees worldwide to deliver a consistently high-quality product and customer experience, which could materially harm our business and results of operations. Furthermore, we have experienced, and could continue to experience, a shortage of labor for store positions, and the increased availability of alternative telecommuting employment options by other employers could decrease the pool of available qualified talent for key functions. In addition, our wages and benefits programs may be insufficient to attract and retain the best talent.
Starting in September 2021, Starbucks partners at a number of company-operated stores sought union representation through elections conducted by the authorities. Unions have secured representation rights at a number of these stores, with potentially more to follow.
The law places limitations on unilateral actions taken with respect to employees who are represented by unions because in certain circumstances the law requires the employer to notify and to bargain with the union prior to making certain operational or other changes that may affect employee wages, hours or other terms and conditions of employment. These limitations could negatively affect our costs, change our employee culture, and decrease our flexibility. They also present the potential to disrupt our current operational model by affecting our ability to fully implement operational changes to enhance our efficiency and adapt to changing business needs.
Moreover, we have experienced job actions in some company-operated stores. Such job actions and work stoppages have the potential to negatively impact our operations, third-party providers upon whom we rely to deliver product, our sales, and our costs.
Additionally, our position with respect to unions and the unionization of partners could negatively impact how our brand is perceived and have adverse effects on our business, including on our financial results. These positions could also expose us to legal risk, causing us to incur costs to defend legal and regulatory actions, potential penalties and restrictions, and reputational harm.
•The loss of key personnel or difficulties recruiting and retaining qualified personnel or effectively managing changes in our workforce could adversely impact our business and financial results.
Much of our future success depends on the continued availability and service of key personnel and employees. The loss of any of our executive officers or other key senior management personnel could harm our business. Our success also depends substantially on the contributions and abilities of our retail store employees upon whom we rely to give customers a superior in-store experience and elevate our brand. Accordingly, our performance depends on our ability to recruit and retain high-quality management personnel and other employees to work in and manage our stores, both domestically and internationally. Our
ability to do so has been and may continue to be impacted by challenges in the labor market, which has experienced and may continue to experience wage inflation, labor shortages, increased employee turnover, changes in availability of our workforce and a shift toward remote or hybrid work arrangements. Our ability to attract and retain corporate, retail and other personnel is also acutely impacted in certain international and domestic markets where the competition for a relatively small number of qualified employees is intense or in markets where large high-tech companies are able to offer more competitive salaries and benefits. Additionally, there is intense competition for qualified technology systems developers necessary to develop and implement new technologies for our growth initiatives, including increasing our digital relationships with customers. If we are unable to recruit, retain and motivate employees sufficiently to maintain our current business and support our projected growth, our business and financial performance may be adversely affected.
Risks Related to Competition
•We face intense competition in each of our channels and markets, which could lead to reduced profitability.
The specialty coffee market is intensely competitive, including with respect to product quality, innovation, service, convenience, such as delivery service and mobile ordering, and price, and we face significant and increasing competition in all of these areas in each of our channels and markets. Accordingly, we do not have leadership positions in all channels and markets. In the U.S., the ongoing focus by large competitors in the quick-service restaurant sector on selling high-quality specialty coffee beverages could lead to decreases in customer traffic to Starbucks® stores and/or average value per transaction adversely affecting our sales and results of operations. Similarly, continued competition from well-established competitors, or competition from large new entrants or well-funded smaller companies, in our domestic and international markets could hinder growth and adversely affect our sales and results of operations in those markets. Many small competitors also continue to open coffee specialty stores in many of our markets across the world, which in the aggregate may also lead to significant decreases of customer traffic to our stores in those markets. Increased competition globally in packaged coffee and tea and single-serve and ready-to-drink coffee beverage markets, including from new and large entrants to this market, could adversely affect the profitability of the Channel Development segment. In addition, not all of our competitors may seek to establish environmental or sustainability goals at a comparable level to ours, which could result in lower supply chain or operating costs for our competitors. We may incur increased costs associated with reducing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions, reducing the use of plastic or imposing performance obligations on our suppliers that could increase financial obligations for us and our business partners and could affect our profitability. Additionally, if we are unable to respond to consumer demand for healthy beverages and foods, or our competitors respond more effectively, this could have a negative effect on our business. Furthermore, declines in general consumer demand for specialty coffee products for any reason, including due to consumer preference for other products, flattening demand for our products, changed customer daily routines or traffic to stores, or changed customer spending behaviors due to challenging economic conditions, could have a negative effect on our business.
Risks Related to Environmental, Social and Governance Matters
•Climate change may have an adverse impact on our business.
We recognize that there are inherent climate-related risks wherever business is conducted. For example, as we noted above, the supply and price of coffee we purchase can also be affected by multiple factors in the producing countries, such as weather and water supply quality and availability, which factors may be caused by or exacerbated by climate change. Climate change may also result in decreased availability, less favorable pricing, or other adverse consequences for non-coffee inputs in our products. In particular, climate change may affect the availability of water in the markets in which we operate and expect to operate and elsewhere in our supply chain, which could have adverse impacts on our business. We operate in 86 markets globally. Our properties and operations may be vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change, which are predicted to increase the frequency and severity of extreme weather events and other natural cycles such as wildfires and droughts. Such events have the potential to disrupt our operations, cause store closures, disrupt the business of our third-party suppliers and impact our customers, all of which may cause us to suffer losses and additional costs to maintain or resume operations.
•Our business is subject to evolving corporate governance and public disclosure regulations and expectations, including with respect to environmental, social and governance matters, that could expose us to numerous risks.
We are subject to changing rules and regulations promulgated by a number of governmental and self-regulatory organizations, including the SEC, the Nasdaq Stock Market and the Financial Accounting Standards Board. These rules and regulations continue to evolve in scope and complexity and many new requirements have been created in response to laws enacted by Congress, making compliance more difficult and uncertain. In addition, increasingly regulators, customers, investors, employees and other stakeholders are focusing on environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) matters and related disclosures. These changing rules, regulations and stakeholder expectations have resulted in, and are likely to continue to result in, increased general and administrative expenses and increased management time and attention spent complying with or
meeting such regulations and expectations. For example, developing and acting on initiatives within the scope of ESG, and collecting, measuring and reporting ESG-related information and metrics can be costly, difficult and time consuming and is subject to evolving reporting standards, including the SEC’s proposed climate-related reporting requirements, and similar proposals by other international regulatory bodies. We may also communicate certain initiatives and goals, regarding environmental matters, diversity, responsible sourcing and social investments and other ESG-related matters, in our SEC filings or in other public disclosures. These initiatives and goals within the scope of ESG could be difficult and expensive to implement, the technologies needed to implement them may not be cost effective and may not advance at a sufficient pace, and we could be criticized for the accuracy, adequacy or completeness of the disclosure. Further, statements about our ESG-related initiatives and goals, and progress toward those goals, may be based on standards for measuring progress that are still developing, internal controls and processes that continue to evolve, and assumptions that are subject to change in the future. If we are unable to meet our ESG-related goals or evolving stakeholder or industry expectations and standards, or if we are perceived to have not responded appropriately to the growing concern for ESG issues, customers and consumers may choose to stop purchasing our products or purchase products from another company or a competitor, and our reputation, business or financial condition may be adversely affected. If our ESG-related data, processes and reporting are incomplete or inaccurate, or if we fail to achieve progress with respect to our goals within the scope of ESG on a timely basis, or at all, our reputation, business, financial performance and growth could be adversely affected.
In addition, we could be criticized by ESG detractors for the scope or nature of our ESG initiatives or goals or for any revisions to these goals. We could also be subjected to negative responses by governmental actors (such as anti-ESG legislation or retaliatory legislative treatment) or consumers (such as boycotts or negative publicity campaigns) targeting Starbucks that could adversely affect our reputation, business, financial performance and growth.
Risks Related to Intellectual Property
•We may not be able to adequately protect our intellectual property or adequately ensure that we are not infringing the intellectual property of others, which could harm the value of our brand and our business.
Our brand names, trademarks and related intellectual property rights are critical assets, and our success depends on our continued ability to use our existing trademarks and service marks in order to increase brand awareness and further develop our branded products in both domestic and international markets. We rely on a combination of trademarks, copyrights, service marks, trade secrets, patents and other intellectual property rights to protect our brand and branded products.
We have registered certain trademarks and have other trademark registrations pending in the U.S. and certain foreign jurisdictions. The trademarks that we currently use have not been registered in all of the countries outside of the U.S. in which we do business or may do business in the future and may never be registered in all of these countries. It may be costly and time consuming to protect our intellectual property, and the steps we have taken to protect our intellectual property in the U.S. and foreign countries may not be adequate. In addition, the steps we have taken may not adequately ensure that we do not infringe the intellectual property of others, and third parties may claim infringement by us in the future. Any claim of infringement, whether or not it has merit, could be time-consuming, result in costly litigation and harm our business. In addition, we cannot ensure that licensees will not take actions that adversely affect the value of our intellectual property.
Risks Related to Cybersecurity and Data Privacy
•Failure to maintain satisfactory compliance with certain privacy and data protections laws and regulations may subject us to substantial negative financial consequences, reputational harm and civil or criminal penalties.
Complex local, state, national, foreign and international laws and regulations apply to the collection, use, retention, protection, disclosure, transfer and other processing of personal data. These privacy and data protection laws and regulations are quickly evolving, with new or modified laws and regulations proposed and implemented frequently and existing laws and regulations subject to new or different interpretations and enforcement. In addition, our legal and regulatory obligations in jurisdictions outside the U.S. are subject to unexpected changes, including the potential for regulatory or other governmental entities to enact new or additional laws or regulations, to issue rulings that invalidate prior laws or regulations or to increase penalties significantly. Complying with these laws and regulations can be costly and can impede the development and offering of new products and services.
For example, Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) and the U.K. General Data Protection Regulation (which implements the GDPR into U.K. law), impose stringent data protection requirements and provide for significant penalties for noncompliance. In China, the Personal Information Protection Law (“PIPL”), has established personal information processing rules, data subject rights, and obligations for personal information processors, among other things. In addition to the PIPL, China’s Data Security Law, regulates data processing activities associated with personal and non-personal data. Noncompliance with these laws may result in significant civil and criminal penalties. Other newly enacted and proposed privacy and data protection laws in other jurisdictions served by Starbucks and its licensees may impose similar requirements, including
restrictions on cross-border data transfers. Such laws may impact Starbucks business operations and increase the cost and expense of compliance.
In the United States, the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”) requires, among other things, covered companies to provide new disclosures to California consumers and allows such consumers new abilities such as the right to opt-out of certain sales of personal information. The CCPA also provides for civil penalties for violations as well as a private right of action for data breaches that may increase data breach litigation. Further, the California Privacy Rights Act, which became effective in January 2023, significantly modified the CCPA and includes additional compliance obligations. Colorado, Connecticut and Virginia recently enacted similar data privacy legislation that has also gone into effect in 2023, and a new privacy law in Utah will go into effect at the end of 2023. In addition, a number of other states have passed or are considering additional privacy laws that are expected to take effect in the near future. These laws will require us to incur additional costs and expenses in our efforts to comply.
Privacy and data protection laws such as those referenced above may impact Starbucks operation and new business models, such as Starbucks Digital Solutions, which rely on Starbucks functioning as controller of customer personal information in licensed markets. As such, Starbucks may be primarily responsible for compliance with privacy and data protection laws in the markets served by participating licensees.
Our failure to comply with applicable laws and regulations or other obligations to which we may be subject relating to personal data, or to protect personal data from unauthorized access, use or other processing, could result in enforcement actions and regulatory investigations against us, claims for damages by customers and other affected individuals, fines and damage to our brand reputation, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our operations, financial performance and business. The amount and scope of insurance we maintain may not cover all types of claims that may arise.
•The unauthorized access, use, theft or destruction of customer or employee personal, financial or other data or of Starbucks proprietary or confidential information that is stored in our information systems or by third parties on our behalf could impact our reputation and brand and expose us to potential liability and loss of revenues.
Many of our information technology systems (whether cloud-based or hosted in proprietary servers), including those used for our point-of-sale, web and mobile platforms, online and mobile payment systems, delivery services and rewards programs and administrative functions, contain personal, financial or other information that is entrusted to us by our customers, business partners and employees. Many of our information technology systems also contain Starbucks proprietary and other confidential information related to our business, such as business plans and product development initiatives and designs, and confidential information about third parties, such as licensees and business partners. Similar to many other retail companies and because of the prominence of our brand, we have in the past experienced, and we expect to continue to experience, cyber-attacks, including phishing, and other attempts to breach, or gain unauthorized access to, our systems and databases. To date, these attacks have not had a material impact on our operations, but we cannot provide assurance that they will not have an impact in the future. Our third-party providers’ and business partners’ information technology systems and databases are likewise subject to such risks. The number and frequency of these attempts varies from year to year but could be exacerbated to some extent by an increase in our digital operations. In addition, we provide some customer and employee data, as well as Starbucks proprietary information and other confidential information important to our business, to third parties to conduct our business, including licensees and business partners. Individuals performing work for Starbucks and such third parties also may access some of this data, including on personally-owned digital devices. To the extent we, a third party or such an individual were to experience a breach of our or their information technology systems that results in the unauthorized access, theft, use, destruction or other compromises of customers’ or employees’ data or confidential information of the Company stored in or transmitted through such systems, including through cyber-attacks or other external or internal methods, it could result in a material loss of revenues from the potential adverse impact to our reputation and brand, a decrease in our ability to retain customers or attract new ones, the imposition of potentially significant costs (including loss of data or payment for recovery of data) and liabilities, loss of business, loss of business partners and licensees and the disruption to our supply chain, business and plans. Unauthorized access, theft, use, destruction or other compromises are becoming increasingly sophisticated and may occur through a variety of methods, including attacks using malicious code, vulnerabilities in software, hardware or other infrastructure (including systems used by our supply chain), system misconfigurations, phishing or social engineering. The rapid evolution and increased adoption of artificial intelligence technologies may intensify our cybersecurity risks. Our logging capabilities, or the logging capabilities of third parties, are not always complete or sufficiently granular, affecting our ability to fully understand the scope of security breaches.
Such security breaches also could result in a violation of applicable U.S. and international privacy, cyber and other laws or trigger data breach notification laws, including new disclosure rules promulgated by the SEC, and subject us to private consumer, business partner or licensee or securities litigation and governmental investigations and proceedings, any of which could result in our exposure to material civil or criminal liability. These risks also exist in acquired businesses, joint ventures or companies we invest in or partner with that use separate information systems or that have not yet been fully integrated into our information systems.
Significant capital investments and other expenditures could also be required to investigate security incidents, remedy cybersecurity problems, recuperate lost data, prevent future compromises and adapt systems and practices to react to the changing threat environment. These include costs associated with notifying affected individuals and other agencies, additional security technologies, trainings, personnel, experts and credit monitoring services for those whose data has been breached. These costs, which could be material, could adversely impact our results of operations in the period in which they are incurred, including by interfering with the pursuit of other important business strategies and initiatives, and may not meaningfully limit the success of future attempts to breach our information technology systems.
Media or other reports of existing or perceived security vulnerabilities in our systems or those of our third-party business partners or service providers can also adversely impact our brand and reputation and materially impact our business. Additionally, the techniques and sophistication used to conduct cyber-attacks and compromise information technology systems, as well as the sources and targets of these attacks, change frequently and are often not recognized until such attacks are launched or have been in place for a period of time. The rapid evolution and increased adoption of artificial intelligence technologies amplifies these concerns. We continue to make significant investments in technology, third-party services and personnel to develop and implement systems and processes that are designed to anticipate cyber-attacks and to prevent or minimize breaches of our information technology systems or data loss, but these security measures cannot provide assurance that we will be successful in preventing such breaches or data loss.
•We rely heavily on information technology in our operations and growth initiatives, and any material failure, inadequacy, interruption or security failure of that technology could harm our ability to effectively operate and grow our business and could adversely affect our financial results.
We rely heavily on information technology systems across our operations for numerous purposes including for administrative functions, point-of-sale processing and payment in our stores and online, management of our supply chain, Starbucks Cards, online business, delivery services, mobile technology, including mobile payments and ordering apps, reloads and loyalty functionality and various other processes and transactions, including providing Starbucks Digital Solutions to participating licensees, and many of these systems are interdependent on one another for their functionality. Many of our non-store employees continue to work on a remote or hybrid basis, which has resulted in increased demand on our information technology infrastructure. Additionally, the success of several of our initiatives to drive growth, including our ability to increase digital relationships with our customers to drive incremental traffic and spend, is highly dependent on our technology systems. Furthermore, we continue to expand convenience-led formats, which depend heavily on our mobile ordering capabilities. We also rely on third-party providers and platforms for some of these information technology systems and support. Additionally, our systems hardware, software and services provided by third-party service providers are not fully redundant within a market or across our markets. Our contractual and operational safeguards may not be effective in preventing the failure of these systems or platforms to operate effectively and be available. Such failures may be caused by various factors, including power outages, climate change-related impacts, catastrophic events, physical theft, computer and network failures, inadequate or ineffective redundancy, problems with transitioning to upgraded or replacement systems or platforms, flaws in third-party software or services, errors or improper use by our employees or third-party service providers, or a breach in the security of these systems or platforms, including through cyber-attacks such as those that result in the blockage of our or our third-party business partners’ or service providers’ systems and platforms and those discussed in more detail in this risk factors section. If our incident response, disaster recovery and business continuity plans do not resolve these issues in an effective and timely manner, they could result in an interruption in our operations and could cause material negative impacts to our product availability and sales, the efficiency of our operations and our financial results. In addition, remediation of any problems with our systems and related customer support could result in significant, unplanned expenses.
Risks Related to Pandemics or Epidemics
•Future health epidemics or pandemics could adversely affect our business and financial results.
Health epidemics or pandemics have in the past and may in the future impact macroeconomic conditions, consumer behavior, labor availability and supply chain management, as well as local operations in impacted markets, all of which can adversely affect our business, financial results and outlook. Governmental responses to health epidemics or pandemics, including operational restrictions, can also affect the foregoing items and adversely affect our business and financial results. The duration and scope of a health epidemic or pandemic can be difficult to predict and depends on many factors, including the emergence of new variants and the availability, acceptance and effectiveness of preventative measures. A health epidemic or pandemic may also heighten other risks disclosed in these risk factors, including, but not limited to, those related to the availability and costs of labor and commodities, supply chain interruptions, consumer behavior, and consumer perceptions of our brand and industry.
Risks Related to Governmental and Regulatory Changes
•Failure to comply with applicable laws and changing legal and regulatory requirements could harm our business and financial results.
Our policies and procedures are designed to comply with all applicable laws, accounting and reporting requirements, tax rules and other regulations and requirements, including those imposed by the SEC, Nasdaq and foreign countries, as well as applicable trade, labor, healthcare, food and beverage, sanitation, safety, environmental, labeling, anti-bribery and corruption and merchandise laws. Such laws and regulations are complex and often subject to differing interpretations, which can lead to unintentional or unknown instances of non-compliance. Changes in the enforcement priorities of regulators may also shift the impact of applicable regulations on the business and the costs necessary to ensure compliance therewith, including through an expansion in the nature, scope or complexity of matters on which we are required to report. Changes in applicable environmental laws and regulations, including increased or additional regulations and associated costs to limit carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions, to discourage the use of plastic or to limit or impose additional costs on commercial water use, may result in increased compliance costs, capital expenditures, incremental investments and other financial obligations for us and our business partners, which could affect our profitability.
In addition, our business is subject to complex and rapidly evolving U.S. and international laws and regulations regarding data privacy and data protection, and companies are under increased regulatory scrutiny relating to these matters. The Federal Trade Commission and many state attorneys general are also interpreting federal and state consumer protection laws to impose standards for the online collection, use, dissemination and security of data. The interpretation and application of existing laws and regulations regarding data privacy and data protection are in flux and authorities around the world are considering a number of additional legislative and regulatory proposals in this area. Current and future data privacy and data protection laws and regulations (including the GDPR and the CCPA, discussed in more detail in this risk factors section, and other applicable international and U.S. privacy laws), or new interpretations of existing laws and regulations, may limit our ability to collect and use data, require us to otherwise modify our data processing practices and policies or result in the possibility of fines, litigation or orders, which may have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations. The burdens imposed by these and other laws and regulations that may be enacted, or new interpretations of existing and future laws and regulations, may also require us to incur substantial costs in reaching compliance in a manner adverse to our business.
The complexity of the regulatory environment in which we operate and the related costs of compliance are both increasing due to additional or changing legal and regulatory requirements, our ongoing expansion into new markets and new channels and the fact that foreign laws occasionally conflict with domestic laws. In addition to potential damage to our reputation and brand, failure by us or our business partners to comply with the various applicable laws and regulations, as well as changes in laws and regulations or the manner in which they are interpreted or applied, may result in litigation, civil and criminal liability, damages, fines and penalties, increased cost of regulatory compliance and restatements of our financial statements and have an adverse impact on our business and financial results.
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments
None.
Item 1C. Cybersecurity
Not applicable.
Item 2.Properties
The material properties used by Starbucks in connection with its roasting, manufacturing, warehousing, distribution and corporate administrative operations, serving all segments, are as follows:
Location
Approximate Size in Square Feet
Purpose
York, PA
1,957,000
Roasting, warehousing and distribution
Seattle, WA
1,294,000
Corporate administrative
Minden, NV (Carson Valley)
1,080,000
Roasting, warehousing and distribution
Lebanon, TN
680,000
Warehousing and distribution
Kunshan, China
630,000
Roasting, warehousing and distribution
Kent, WA
510,000
Roasting and distribution
Auburn, WA
491,000
Warehousing and distribution
Shanghai, China
225,000
Corporate administrative
We own most of our roasting facilities and lease the majority of our warehousing and distribution locations. As of October 1, 2023, Starbucks had 19,592 company-operated stores, almost all of which are leased. We also lease space in various locations
worldwide for regional, district and other administrative offices, training facilities and storage. In addition to the locations listed above, we hold inventory at various locations managed by third-party warehouses. We believe our existing facilities, both owned and leased, are in good condition and suitable for the conduct of our business.
Item 3.Legal Proceedings
See Note 16, Commitments and Contingencies, to the consolidated financial statements included in Item 8 of Part II of this 10-K for information regarding certain legal proceedings in which we are involved.
Item 5. Market for the Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Shareholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
SHAREHOLDER INFORMATION
MARKET INFORMATION AND DIVIDEND POLICY
Starbucks common stock is traded on Nasdaq, under the symbol “SBUX.”
As of November 10, 2023, we had approximately 18,000 shareholders of record. This does not include persons whose stock is in nominee or “street name” accounts through brokers.
Future decisions to pay comparable cash dividends continue to be at the discretion of the Board and will be dependent on our operating performance, financial condition, capital expenditure requirements and other factors that the Board considers relevant.
ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
The following table provides information regarding repurchases of our common stock during the quarter ended October 1, 2023.
Total Number of Shares Purchased
Average Price Paid per Share
Total Number
of Shares
Purchased as
Part of Publicly
Announced
Plans or
Programs(2)
Maximum
Number of
Shares that May
Yet Be
Purchased
Under the Plans
or Programs(3)
Period (1)
July 3, 2023 - July 30, 2023
—
$
—
—
45,720,818
July 31, 2023 - August 27, 2023
1,072,090
98.16
1,072,090
44,648,728
August 28, 2023 - October 1, 2023
2,059,067
95.39
2,059,067
42,589,661
Total
3,131,157
$
96.34
3,131,157
(1)Monthly information is presented by reference to our fiscal months during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2023.
(2)Share repurchases are conducted under our ongoing share repurchase program announced in September 2001, which has no expiration date, and for which the authorized number of shares has been increased by our Board numerous times, with our Board most recently authorizing the repurchase of up to an additional 40 million shares in March 2022.
(3)This column includes the total number of shares available for repurchase under the Company's ongoing share repurchase program. Shares under our ongoing share repurchase program may be repurchased in open market transactions, including pursuant to a trading plan adopted in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, or through privately negotiated transactions. The timing, manner, price and amount of repurchases will be determined at our discretion and the share repurchase program may be suspended, terminated or modified at any time for any reason.
The following graph depicts the total return to shareholders from September 30, 2018, through October 1, 2023, relative to the performance of the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, the Nasdaq Composite Index and the Standard & Poor’s 500 Consumer Discretionary Sector, a peer group that includes Starbucks. All indices shown in the graph have been reset to a base of 100 as of September 30, 2018, and assume an investment of $100 on that date and the reinvestment of dividends paid since that date. The stock price performance shown in the graph is not necessarily indicative of future price performance.
Item 7.Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
General
Our fiscal year ends on the Sunday closest to September 30. All references to store counts, including data for new store openings, are reported net of related store closures, unless otherwise noted. Fiscal years 2023 and 2022 included 52 weeks. Fiscal year 2021 included 53 weeks, with the 53rd week falling in the fourth fiscal quarter.
The discussion of our financial condition and results of operations for the fiscal year ended October 3, 2021, included in Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (“MD&A”) can be found in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 2, 2022.
Overview
We have three reportable operating segments: 1) North America, which is inclusive of the U.S. and Canada; 2) International, which is inclusive of China, Japan, Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean; and 3) Channel Development. Non-reportable operating segments and unallocated corporate expenses are reported within Corporate and Other.
Our financial results and long-term growth model will continue to be driven by new store openings, comparable store sales and margin management. We believe these key operating metrics are useful to investors because management uses these metrics to assess the growth of our business and the effectiveness of our marketing and operational strategies. Throughout this MD&A, we commonly discuss the following key operating metrics:
•New store openings and store count
•Comparable store sales
•Operating margin
Starbucks results for fiscal 2023 demonstrate the overall strength of our brand. Consolidated revenues increased 12% to $36.0 billion in fiscal 2023 compared to $32.3 billion in fiscal 2022, primarily driven by strength in our U.S. business and growth in our International segment, partially offset by the impact of unfavorable foreign currency translation.
For both the North America segment and U.S. market, comparable store sales increased 9% for fiscal 2023 compared to an increase of 12% in fiscal 2022. Average ticket for both the North America segment and the U.S. market grew 6%, primarily driven by pricing in our U.S. market. The segment also experienced higher costs, primarily related to previously-committed investments in store partner wages and benefits and increased spend on partner training, as well as inflationary pressures on commodities and our supply chain. In fiscal 2022, we announced our Reinvention Plan in the U.S. market to increase efficiency while elevating the partner and customer experience. We believe the investments in partner wages and training have increased retention and in-store operational efficiencies while the acceleration of purpose-built store concepts and innovations in technologies have provided additional convenience and connection with our customers.
For the International segment, despite COVID-19 pandemic-related headwinds in China in the first half of the year, revenue grew 8% in fiscal 2023 compared to fiscal 2022, primarily driven by net new company-operated store openings and higher product sales to and royalty revenues from our licensees. Also contributing to the increase was a 5% increase in comparable store sales, driven by customer transactions, compared to a decrease of 9% in fiscal 2022. These increases were partially offset by the impact of unfavorable foreign currency translation.
Revenue for our Channel Development segment increased 3% in fiscal 2023 compared with fiscal 2022, primarily driven by higher Global Coffee Alliance product sales and royalty revenue and growth in our global ready-to-drink business. In fiscal 2023, we sold the assetsassociated with the Seattle's Best Coffee brand to Nestlé, which resulted in a pre-tax gain of $91.3 million.
We have seen the strength and resilience of our brand as well as strong customer demand across our portfolio, with revenue and operating margin growth in fiscal 2023. We expect to continue our trend of global new store growth in fiscal 2024, driven by a dynamic portfolio of store formats in the U.S. and leveraging the strength of our brand internationally. We anticipate continued benefits from increased sales leverage and pricing decisions as well as in-store operational efficiencies driven by our Reinvention Plan. We expect the inflationary pressures on commodities and supply chain that impacted fiscal 2023 to moderate in fiscal 2024, relative to the impact on our business and financial metrics, including operating margin. Absent global economic disruptions, and based on the current trend of our business operations and our focused efforts on the Reinvention Plan, we are confident in the strength of our brand and strategy for sustainable, profitable growth over the long-term.
•Total net revenues increased 12% to $36.0 billion in fiscal 2023 compared to $32.3 billion in fiscal 2022.
•Consolidated operating income increased to $5.9 billion in fiscal 2023 compared to $4.6 billion in fiscal 2022. Fiscal 2023 operating margin was 16.3% compared to 14.3% in fiscal 2022. Operating margin expansion of 200 basis points was primarily due to pricing (approximately 250 basis points), sales leverage (approximately 240 basis points) and in-store operational efficiencies (approximately 160 basis points). These increases were partially offset by previously-committed investments in store partner wages (approximately 250 basis points) and higher general and administrative expenses, primarily in support of our Reinvention Plan (approximately 130 basis points).
•Diluted earnings per share (“EPS”) for fiscal 2023 increased to $3.58, compared to EPS of $2.83 in fiscal 2022. The increase was primarily driven by sales growth and in-store operational efficiencies. This increase was partially offset by previously-committed investments in store partner wages and higher general and administrative expenses, primarily in support of our Reinvention Plan.
•Capital expenditures were $2.3 billion in fiscal 2023 and $1.8 billion in fiscal 2022.
•We returned $3.4 billion to our shareholders in fiscal 2023 through share repurchases and dividends. We returned $6.3 billion in fiscal 2022 through share repurchases and dividends.
Acquisitions and Divestitures
See Note 2, Acquisitions, Divestitures and Strategic Alliance, to the consolidated financial statements included in Item 8 of Part II of this 10-K for information regarding acquisitions and divestitures.
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS — FISCAL 2023 COMPARED TO FISCAL 2022
Consolidated results of operations (in millions):
Revenues
Fiscal Year Ended
Oct 1, 2023
Oct 2, 2022
%
Change
Net revenues:
Company-operated stores
$
29,462.3
$
26,576.1
10.9
%
Licensed stores
4,512.7
3,655.5
23.4
Other
2,000.6
2,018.7
(0.9)
Total net revenues
$
35,975.6
$
32,250.3
11.6
%
Total net revenues increased $3.7 billion, or 12%, over fiscal 2022, primarily due to higher revenues from company-operated stores ($2.9 billion). The growth in company-operated store revenue was driven by an 8% increase in comparable store sales ($2.1 billion) attributed to a 5% increase in average ticket and 3% increase in comparable transactions. Also contributing were the incremental revenues from 1,339 net new Starbucks company-operated store openings, or a 7% increase, over the past 12 months ($1.2 billion). These increases were partially offset by the impact of unfavorable foreign currency translation ($555 million).
Licensed stores revenue increased $857 million, primarily driven by higher product and equipment sales to and royalty revenues from our licensees ($898 million), largely due to revenue growth from existing stores and the opening of 988 net new Starbucks licensed stores over the past 12 months, partially offset by the impact of unfavorable foreign currency translation ($64 million).
Other revenues decreased $18 million, primarily due to the absence of revenues from the Evolution Fresh business following its sale in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022 ($60 million), partially offset by an increase in revenue in the Global Coffee Alliance ($37 million).
Store operating expenses as a % of related revenues
50.0
%
51.0
%
Product and distribution costs as a percentage of total net revenues decreased 30 basis points, primarily due to pricing (approximately 120 basis points), partially offset by inflationary pressures on commodities and our supply chain (approximately 80 basis points).
Store operating expenses as a percentage of total net revenues decreased 120 basis points. Store operating expenses as a percentage of company-operated store revenues decreased 100 basis points, primarily due to in-store operational efficiencies (approximately 160 basis points), sales leverage (approximately 160 basis points) and pricing (approximately 160 basis points). These were partially offset by previously-committed investments in store partner wages and benefits (approximately 290 basis points) and increased spend on partner training (approximately 30 basis points).
Other operating expenses increased $78 million, primarily due to higher strategic investments in technology and other initiatives ($32 million) and support costs for our growing licensed markets ($25 million).
Depreciation and amortization expenses as a percentage of total net revenues decreased 70 basis points, primarily due to lapping amortization expenses of acquisition-related intangibles assets that are now fully amortized.
General and administrative expenses increased $409.3 million, primarily due to incremental investments in technology ($140 million), increased support costs of strategic initiatives including the Reinvention Plan ($86 million), higher performance-based compensation ($74 million) and other labor and leadership support costs ($31 million).
Income from equity investees increased $64 million, primarily due to higher income from our North American Coffee Partnership joint venture ($64 million).
Gain from sale of assets includes the sale of our Seattle's Best Coffee brand to Nestlé in the second quarter of fiscal 2023.
The combination of these changes resulted in an overall increase in operating margin of 200 basis points in fiscal 2023 when compared to fiscal 2022.
Net earnings/(loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests
0.2
1.8
0.0
0.0
Net earnings attributable to Starbucks
$
4,124.5
$
3,281.6
11.5
%
10.2
%
Effective tax rate including noncontrolling interests
23.6
%
22.4
%
Interest income and other, net decreased $16 million, primarily due to lapping higher investment gains in the prior year.
Interest expense increased $67 million primarily due to higher debt balances and higher interest rates.
The effective tax rate for fiscal 2023 was 23.6% compared to 22.4% for fiscal 2022.The increase was due to lapping a beneficial return-to-provision adjustment related to the divestiture of certain joint venture operations (approximately 50 basis points) and a year-over-year decrease in beneficial valuation allowance activity related to international jurisdictions (approximately 40 basis points). See Note 14, Income Taxes, for further discussion.
Store operating expenses as a % of related revenues
50.0
%
51.2
%
Revenues
North America total net revenues for fiscal 2023 increased $3.2 billion, or 14%, primarily due to a 9% increase in comparable store sales ($1.9 billion) driven by a 6% increase in average ticket and a 3% increase in comparable transactions. Also contributing to the increase were the performance of net new company-operated store openings over the past 12 months ($813 million) and higher product and equipment sales to and royalty revenues from our licensees ($487 million).
Operating Margin
North America operating income for fiscal 2023 increased 22% to $5.5 billion, compared to $4.5 billion in fiscal 2022. Operating margin expanded 150 basis points to 20.7%, primarily due to pricing (approximately 300 basis points), in-store operational efficiencies (approximately 230 basis points) and sales leverage. These were partially offset by previously-committed investments in store partner wages and benefits (approximately 300 basis points) and increased spend on partner training (approximately 40 basis points), as well as inflationary pressures on commodities and our supply chain (approximately 80 basis points).
Store operating expenses as a % of related revenues
49.7
%
50.4
%
Revenues
International total net revenues for fiscal 2023 increased $548 million, or 7.9%, primarily due to 927 net new Starbucks company-operated stores, or a 12% increase over the past 12 months ($421 million), as well as higher product sales to and royalty revenues from our licensees ($411 million). Also contributing to the increase was a 5% increase in comparable store sales ($233 million), primarily driven by customer transactions. These were partially offset by the impact of unfavorable foreign currency translation ($543 million).
Operating Margin
International operating income for fiscal 2023 increased 48% to $1.2 billion, compared to $833.2 million in fiscal 2022. Operating margin increased 440 basis points to 16.4%, primarily due to sales leverage (approximately 270 basis points) and lapping amortization expenses of acquisition-related intangibles assets that are now fully amortized (approximately 240 basis points).
Channel Development total net revenues for fiscal 2023 increased $50 million, or 3%, compared to fiscal 2022, primarily due to higher Global Coffee Alliance product sales and royalty revenue ($37 million) and growth in our ready-to-drink business ($22 million).
Operating Margin
Channel Development operating income for fiscal 2023 increased 18% to $968 million, compared to $817 million in fiscal 2022. Operating margin increased 680 basis points to 51.1%, primarily due to the gain from sale of our Seattle's Best Coffee brand (approximately 480 basis points) and growth in our North American Coffee Partnership joint venture income (approximately 300 basis points), partially offset by impairment charges against certain manufacturing assets (approximately 100 basis points).
Corporate and Other primarily consists of our unallocated corporate expenses and Evolution Fresh, prior to its sale in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022. Unallocated corporate expenses include corporate administrative functions that support the operating segments but are not specifically attributable to or managed by any segment and are not included in the reported financial results of the operating segments.
Corporate and Other operating loss increased to $1.8 billion for fiscal 2023, or 20%, compared to $1.5 billion in fiscal 2022. This increase was primarily driven by incremental investments in technology ($131 million), increased support costs of strategic initiatives including the Reinvention Plan ($86 million) and higher performance-based compensation ($56 million).
FINANCIAL CONDITION, LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
Cash and Investment Overview
Our cash and investments were $4.2 billion and $3.5 billion as of October 1, 2023 and October 2, 2022, respectively. We actively manage our cash and investments in order to internally fund operating needs, make scheduled interest and principal payments on our borrowings, fund acquisitions and return cash to shareholders through common stock cash dividend payments and share repurchases. Our investment portfolio primarily includes highly liquid available-for-sale securities, including corporate debt securities, government treasury securities (domestic and foreign) and commercial paper as well as principal-protected structured deposits. As of October 1, 2023, approximately $2.5 billion of cash and short-term investments were held in foreign subsidiaries.
Borrowing Capacity
Credit Facilities and Commercial Paper
Revolving Credit Facility
Our $3.0 billion unsecured five-year revolving credit facility (the “2021 credit facility”), of which $150.0 million may be used for issuances of letters of credit, is currently set to mature on September 16, 2026. The 2021 credit facility is available for working capital, capital expenditures and other corporate purposes, including acquisitions and share repurchases. We have the option, subject to negotiation and agreement with the related banks, to increase the maximum commitment amount by an additional $1.0 billion.
Borrowings under the 2021 credit facility, which was most recently amended in April 2023, will bear interest at a variable rate based on Term SOFR, and, for U.S. dollar-denominated loans under certain circumstances, a Base Rate (as defined in the 2021 credit facility), in each case plus an applicable margin. The applicable margin is based on the Company’s long-term credit ratings assigned by the Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s rating agencies. The “Base Rate” is the highest of (i) the Federal Funds Rate (as defined in the 2021 credit facility) plus 0.500%, (ii) Bank of America’s prime rate, and (iii) Term SOFR plus 1.000%. Term SOFR means the forward-looking SOFR term rate administrated by the Chicago Mercantile Exchange plus a SOFR Adjustment of 0.100%.
The 2021 credit facility contains provisions requiring us to maintain compliance with certain covenants, including a minimum fixed charge coverage ratio, which measures our ability to cover financing expenses. As of October 1, 2023, we were in compliance with all applicable covenants. No amounts were outstanding under our 2021 credit facility as of October 1, 2023 or October 2, 2022.
Our total contractual borrowing capacity for general corporate purposes was $3.0 billion as of the end of fiscal 2023.
Commercial Paper
Under our commercial paper program, we may issue unsecured commercial paper notes up to a maximum aggregate amount outstanding at any time of $3.0 billion, with individual maturities that may vary but not exceed 397 days from the date of issue. Amounts outstanding under the commercial paper program are required to be backstopped by available commitments under our 2021 credit facility. The proceeds from borrowings under our commercial paper program may be used for working capital needs, capital expenditures and other corporate purposes, including, but not limited to, business expansion, payment of cash dividends on our common stock and share repurchases. As of October 1, 2023, we had no amounts outstanding under our commercial paper program. As of October 2, 2022, we had $175.0 million in borrowings outstanding under this program.
Credit Facilities in Japan
Additionally, we hold the following Japanese yen-denominated credit facilities that are are available for working capital needs and capital expenditures within our Japanese market:
•A ¥5 billion, or $33.5 million, credit facility is currently set to mature on January 4, 2024. Borrowings under this credit facility are subject to terms defined within the facility and will bear interest at a variable rate based on TIBOR plus an applicable margin of 0.400%.
•A ¥10 billion, or $67.0 million, credit facility is currently set to mature on March 27, 2024. Borrowings under this credit facility are subject to terms defined within the facility and will bear interest at a variable rate based on TIBOR plus an applicable margin of 0.300%.
As of October 1, 2023 we had ¥5 billion, or $33.5 million, of borrowings outstanding under these credit facilities. As of October 2, 2022, we had no borrowings outstanding under these credit facilities.
See Note 9, Debt, to the consolidated financial statements included in Item 8 of Part II of this 10-K for details of the components of our long-term debt.
Our ability to incur new liens and conduct sale and leaseback transactions on certain material properties is subject to compliance with terms of the indentures under which the long-term notes were issued. As of October 1, 2023, we were in compliance with all applicable covenants.
Use of Cash
We expect to use our available cash and investments, including, but not limited to, additional potential future borrowings under the credit facilities, commercial paper program and the issuance of debt to support and invest in our core businesses, including investing in new ways to serve our customers and supporting our store partners, repaying maturing debts, as well as returning cash to shareholders through common stock cash dividend payments and discretionary share repurchases and investing in new business opportunities related to our core and developing businesses. Furthermore, we may use our available cash resources to make proportionate capital contributions to our investees. We may also seek strategic acquisitions to leverage existing capabilities and further build our business. Acquisitions may include increasing our ownership interests in our investees. Any decisions to increase such ownership interests will be driven by valuation and fit with our ownership strategy.
We believe that net future cash flows generated from operations and existing cash and investments both domestically and internationally, combined with our ability to leverage our balance sheet through the issuance of debt, will be sufficient to finance capital requirements for our core businesses as well as shareholder distributions for at least the next 12 months. We are currently not aware of any trends or demands, commitments, events or uncertainties that will result in, or that are reasonably likely to result in, our liquidity increasing or decreasing in any material way that will impact our capital needs during or beyond the next 12 months. We have borrowed funds and continue to believe we have the ability to do so at reasonable interest rates; however, additional borrowings would result in increased interest expense in the future. In this regard, we may incur additional debt, within targeted levels, as part of our plans to fund our capital programs, including cash returns to shareholders through future dividends and discretionary share repurchases, refinancing debt maturities, as well as investing in new business opportunities. If necessary, we may pursue additional sources of financing, including both short-term and long-term borrowings and debt issuances.
We regularly review our cash positions and our determination of partial indefinite reinvestment of foreign earnings. In the event we determine that all or another portion of such foreign earnings are no longer indefinitely reinvested, we may be subject to additional foreign withholding taxes and U.S. state income taxes, which could be material. While we do not anticipate the need for repatriated funds to the U.S. to satisfy domestic liquidity requirements, any foreign earnings which are not indefinitely reinvested may be repatriated at management’s discretion. See Note 14, Income Taxes, for further discussion.
During each of the first three quarters of fiscal 2022, we declared a cash dividend to shareholders of $0.49 per share. During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022, and for each of the first three quarters of fiscal 2023, we declared a cash dividend of $0.53 per
share. Dividends are generally paid in the quarter following the declaration date. Cash returned to shareholders through dividends in fiscal 2023 and 2022 totaled $2.4 billion and $2.3 billion, respectively. During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2023, we declared a cash dividend of $0.57 per share to be paid on November 24, 2023, with an expected payout of approximately $651.2 million.
During the fiscal year ended October 2, 2022, we repurchased 36.3 million shares of common stock for $4.0 billion on the open market. During the fiscal year ended October 1, 2023, we repurchased 10.0 million shares of common stock for $1.0 billion on the open market. On March 15, 2022, we announced that our Board authorized the repurchase of up to an additional 40 million shares under our ongoing share repurchase program. As of October 1, 2023, 42.6 million shares remained available for repurchase under current authorizations.
Other than normal operating expenses, cash requirements for fiscal 2024 are expected to consist primarily of capital expenditures for investments in our new and existing stores, our supply chain and corporate facilities. Total capital expenditures for fiscal 2024 are expected to be approximately $3.0 billion.
The following table summarizes current and long-term material cash requirements as of October 1, 2023, which we expect to fund primarily with operating cash flows (in millions):
Material Cash Requirements
Total
Less than 1
Year
1 - 3
Years
3 - 5
Years
More than
5 Years
Operating lease obligations(1)
$
10,594.2
$
1,577.6
$
2,931.1
$
2,206.9
$
3,878.6
Debt obligations
Principal payments
15,519.3
1,819.3
2,750.0
1,100.0
9,850.0
Interest payments
6,362.2
520.8
909.3
740.6
4,191.5
Purchase obligations(2)
1,078.4
694.6
311.4
72.4
—
Other obligations(3)
391.4
114.4
145.6
33.4
98.0
Total
$
33,945.5
$
4,726.7
$
7,047.4
$
4,153.3
$
18,018.1
(1)Amounts include direct lease obligations, excluding any taxes, insurance and other related expenses.
(2)Purchase obligations include agreements to purchase goods or services that are enforceable and legally binding on Starbucks and that specify all significant terms. Green coffee purchase commitments comprise 92% of total purchase obligations.
(3)Other obligations include other long-term liabilities primarily consisting of long-term income taxes payable, asset retirement obligations, equity investment capital commitments and finance lease obligations.
Cash Flows
Cash provided by operating activities was $6.0 billion for fiscal 2023, compared to $4.4 billion for fiscal 2022. The change was primarily due to a decrease in net cash used by changes in operating assets and liabilities, including lower inventory purchases driven by reduced coffee commodity prices, and higher net earnings during the period.
Cash used in investing activities was $2.3 billion for fiscal 2023, compared to $2.1 billion for fiscal 2022. The change was primarily due to an increase in spend on capital expenditures and increased purchases of investments in fiscal 2023, partially offset by increased maturities and calls of investments in fiscal 2023.
Cash used in financing activities was $3.0 billion for fiscal 2023, compared to $5.6 billion for fiscal 2022. The change was primarily due to a decrease in share repurchase activities, partially offset by an increase in net payments of commercial paper.
COMMODITY PRICES, AVAILABILITY AND GENERAL RISK CONDITIONS
Commodity price risk represents our primary market risk, generated by our purchases of green coffee and dairy products, among other items. We purchase, roast and sell high-quality arabica coffee and related products and risk arises from the price volatility of green coffee. In addition to coffee, we also purchase significant amounts of dairy products to support the needs of our company-operated stores. The price and availability of these commodities directly impact our results of operations, and we expect commodity prices, particularly coffee, to impact future results of operations. For additional details see Product Supply in Item 1, as well as Risk Factors in Item 1A of this 10-K.
FINANCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT
Market risk is defined as the risk of losses due to changes in commodity prices, foreign currency exchange rates, equity security prices and interest rates. We manage our exposure to various market-based risks according to a market price risk management policy. Under this policy, market-based risks are quantified and evaluated for potential mitigation strategies, such as entering into hedging transactions. The market price risk management policy governs how hedging instruments may be used to mitigate
risk. Risk limits are set annually and speculative trading activities are prohibited. We also monitor and limit the amount of associated counterparty credit risk, which we consider to be low. We use interest rate swap agreements and treasury locks to primarily hedge against changes in benchmark interest rates related to anticipated debt issuances. We also use cross-currency swaps and foreign exchange debt instruments to hedge against changes in the fair value of our net investments in foreign operations. Excluding interest rate hedging instruments, cross currency swaps and foreign currency debt, hedging instruments generally do not have maturities in excess of three years. Refer to Note 1, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies and Estimates, and Note 3, Derivative Financial Instruments, to the consolidated financial statements included in Item 8 of Part II of this 10-K for further discussion of our hedging instruments.
The sensitivity analyses disclosed below provide only a limited, point-in-time view of the market risk of the financial instruments discussed. The actual impact of the respective underlying rates and price changes on the financial instruments may differ significantly from those shown in the sensitivity analyses.
Commodity Price Risk
We purchase commodity inputs, primarily coffee, dairy products, diesel, cocoa, sugar and other commodities, that are used in our operations and are subject to price fluctuations that impact our financial results. We use a combination of pricing features embedded within supply contracts, such as fixed-price and price-to-be-fixed contracts and financial derivatives to manage our commodity price risk exposure.
The following table summarizes the potential impact as of October 1, 2023 to Starbucks future net earnings and other comprehensive income (“OCI”) from changes in commodity prices. The information provided below relates only to the hedging instruments and does not represent the corresponding changes in the underlying hedged items (in millions):
Increase/(Decrease) to Net Earnings
Increase/(Decrease) to OCI
10% Increase in
Underlying Rate
10% Decrease in Underlying Rate
10% Increase in Underlying Rate
10% Decrease in Underlying Rate
Commodity hedges
$
1.2
$
(1.2)
$
33
$
(33)
Foreign Currency Exchange Risk
The majority of our revenue, expense and capital purchasing activities are transacted in U.S. dollars. However, because a portion of our operations consists of activities outside of the U.S., we have transactions in other currencies, primarily the Chinese renminbi, Japanese yen, Canadian dollar, British pound, South Korean won and euro. To reduce cash flow volatility from foreign currency fluctuations, we enter into derivative instruments to hedge portions of cash flows of anticipated intercompany royalty payments, inventory purchases, intercompany borrowing and lending activities and certain other transactions in currencies other than the functional currency of the entity that enters into the arrangements, as well as the translation risk of certain balance sheet items. The volatility in the foreign exchange market may lead to significant fluctuation in foreign currency exchange rates and adversely impact our financial results in the case of weakening foreign currencies relative to the U.S. dollar.
The following table summarizes the potential impact as of October 1, 2023 to Starbucks future net earnings and other comprehensive income from changes in the fair value of these derivative financial instruments due to a change in the value of the U.S. dollar as compared to foreign exchange rates. The information provided below relates only to the hedging instruments and does not represent the corresponding changes in the underlying hedged items (in millions):
Increase/(Decrease) to Net Earnings
Increase/(Decrease) to OCI
10% Increase in Underlying Rate
10% Decrease in Underlying Rate
10% Increase in Underlying Rate
10% Decrease in Underlying Rate
Foreign currency hedges
$
27
$
(27)
$
197
$
(197)
Equity Security Price Risk
We have minimal exposure to price fluctuations on equity mutual funds and equity exchange-traded funds within our marketable equity securities portfolio. Marketable equity securities are recorded at fair value and approximates a portion of our liability under our Management Deferred Compensation Plan (“MDCP”). Gains and losses from the portfolio and the change in our MDCP liability are recorded in our consolidated statements of earnings.
We performed a sensitivity analysis based on a 10% change in the underlying equity prices of our investments as of October 1, 2023 and determined that such a change would not have a significant impact on the fair value of these instruments.
We utilize short-term and long-term financing and may use interest rate hedges to manage our overall interest expense related to our existing fixed-rate debt, as well as to hedge the variability in cash flows due to changes in benchmark interest rates related to anticipated debt issuances. See Note 3, Derivative Financial Instruments and Note 9, Debt, to the consolidated financial statements included in Item 8 of Part II of this 10-K for further discussion of our interest rate hedge agreements and details of the components of our long-term debt, respectively, as of October 1, 2023.
The following table summarizes the impact of a change in interest rates as of October 1, 2023 on the fair value of Starbucks debt (in millions):
Fair Value
Decrease in Fair Value for a 100 Basis Point Increase in Underlying Rate
Long-term debt(1)(2)
$
13,426
$
(820)
(1)Amount disclosed is net of $16 million change in the fair value of our designated interest rate swaps. Refer to Note 3, Derivative Financial Instruments, for additional information on our interest rate swap designated as a fair value hedge.
(2)Includes $750 million in Senior Notes that matured on October 1, 2023 but remained in current portion of long-term debt on the consolidated balance sheet as the debt repayment was not made until the first day of fiscal 2024.
Available-for-Sale Debt Securities
Our available-for-sale securities comprise a diversified portfolio consisting mainly of investment-grade debt securities. The primary objective of these investments is to preserve capital and liquidity. Available-for-sale securities are recorded on the consolidated balance sheets at fair value with unrealized gains and losses reported as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income. We do not hedge the interest rate exposure on our investments. We performed a sensitivity analysis based on a 100 basis point change in the underlying interest rate of our available-for-sale securities as of October 1, 2023 and determined that such a change would not have a significant impact on the fair value of these instruments.
CRITICAL ACCOUNTING ESTIMATES
Critical accounting estimates are those that management believes are the most important to the portrayal of our financial condition and results and require the most difficult, subjective or complex judgments, often as a result of the need to make estimates about the effect of matters that are inherently uncertain. Judgments and uncertainties may result in materially different amounts being reported under different conditions or using different assumptions.
Our significant accounting estimates are discussed in additional detail in Note 1, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies and Estimates, to the consolidated financial statements included in Item 8 of Part II of this 10-K. We consider financial reporting and disclosure practices and accounting policies quarterly to ensure that they provide accurate and transparent information relative to the current economic and business environment. During the past five fiscal years, we have not made any material changes to the accounting methodologies used to assess the areas discussed below, unless noted otherwise. We believe that our significant accounting estimates involve a higher degree of judgment and/or complexity for the reasons discussed below:
Income Taxes
We recognize deferred tax assets and liabilities based on the differences between the financial statement carrying amounts and the respective tax bases of our assets and liabilities. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using current enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which we expect the temporary differences to reverse. We routinely evaluate the likelihood of realizing the benefit of our deferred tax assets and may record a valuation allowance if, based on all available evidence, we determine that some portion of the tax benefit will not be realized.
In evaluating our ability to recover our deferred tax assets within the jurisdiction from which they arise, we consider all available positive and negative evidence, including scheduled reversals of deferred tax liabilities, projected future taxable income, tax-planning strategies and results of operations. In projecting future taxable income, we consider historical results and incorporate assumptions about the amount of future state, federal and foreign pre-tax operating income adjusted for items that do not have tax consequences. Our assumptions regarding future taxable income are consistent with the plans and estimates we use to manage our underlying businesses. In evaluating the objective evidence that historical results provide, we consider three years of cumulative operating income/(loss).
In addition, our income tax returns are periodically audited by domestic and foreign tax authorities. These audits include review of our tax filing positions, such as the timing and amount of deductions taken and the allocation of income between tax jurisdictions. We evaluate our exposures associated with our various tax filing positions and recognize a tax benefit only if it is more likely than not that the tax position will be sustained upon examination by the relevant taxing authorities, including resolutions of any related appeals or litigation processes, based on the technical merits of our position. The tax benefits recognized in the financial statements from such a position are measured based on the largest benefit that has a greater than 50% likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement. For uncertain tax positions t