Store marks Starbucks 1,000th in Shanghai, the first city in the world to reach the milestone

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Greener Store features leading sustainability solutions and digitalized operations

Pays tribute to Shanghai by innovating Starbucks first city themed handcrafted coffee creation in China

Starbucks today celebrated its 6,000th store in the Chinese mainland, which opens on September 30 at Shanghai Lippo Plaza, where the company opened its first store in Shanghai more than 20 years ago. The new store marks Starbucks 1,000th in Shanghai – making it the first city in the world to pass the milestone. The latest addition to Starbucks growing portfolio of “Greener Stores” also features leading sustainability solutions and digitalized operations. To commemorate the milestone, Starbucks is launching “Shanghai Coffee” in Crema Ristretto style – its first city-themed handcrafted coffee creation in China as a tribute to the city and its coffee lovers.

“As Starbucks celebrates our 6,000th store in China, we are deeply humbled to return where we opened our first store in Shanghai,” said Leo Tsoi, chief executive officer, Starbucks China. “It has been a privilege to share our love for coffee with local customers, and contribute to the development of China’s coffee culture and its specialty coffee industry over the past two decades. We treasure the strong connections we have built, and will never stop innovating new coffee products and experiences to delight our customers and earn their support every day.”

Since entering the Chinese mainland market, Starbucks has become known as a place for connection, familiarity and joy, interwoven into Chinese consumers’ daily lifestyles from social gatherings with friends and family, to casual business meetings and more. It continues to innovate and scale creative store concepts to serve customers and communities, such as Signing Stores that provide employment opportunities for Deaf and hard of hearing partners (employees), Heritage Culture Gallery Stores that bring heritage culture closer to Chinese consumers, and a co-working space concept store providing flexible, on-demand co-working spaces for mobile professionals.

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Shanghai Lippo Plaza Store

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The new Shanghai Lippo Plaza Store bears testament to the continuous evolution of Starbucks stores in China’s dynamic consumer landscape. It features a clean and streamlined design, brought to life with minimalist style furniture and casework made using recycled straw material. Old green aprons donned by Starbucks partners were upcycled to create the store’s signature artwork – an iconic Starbucks siren with intricate design details that relay important milestones in Starbucks journey in China. From the store’s mall entrance, customers are greeted by a mug wall made up of a vast collection of Starbucks signature city mugs launched over the years.

Beyond its contemporary design, the evolution of Starbucks stores is also reflected in the Shanghai Lippo Plaza Store’s back-of-house operations, where investments in digital technologies have enhanced the partner experience and elevated store efficiency to a whole new level. The use of Internet of Things (IoT) sensors and automation tools have dramatically simplified routine stocktaking tasks, enabling partners to focus on coffee craft and customer connection. Big data and machine learning algorithms have also been deployed to optimize inventory ordering and labor scheduling. These technologies have been scaled to all stores in operation market-wide, as the company continues to advance its digital transformation agenda.

The Shanghai Lippo Plaza Store is also the latest of Starbucks growing portfolio of Greener Stores in China. From design to construction and operations, it incorporates sustainability solutions to achieve reductions in carbon, water and waste. Among its features, the store uses smart, energy efficient solutions for air conditioning, lighting, water usage and daily energy consumption. Green aprons donned by store partners are made from recycled Starbucks cups using advanced plastic-to-textile technologies. Customers are invited to join Starbucks on its journey towards reusables by bringing their own cups or choosing a Grande-sized reusable cup when ordering beverages for on-the-go consumption.

Shanghai Coffee in Crema Ristretto style

Alongside the planned opening of the Shanghai Lippo Plaza Store, Starbucks has also specially created a signature handcrafted coffee beverage for coffee lovers in Shanghai – Shanghai Coffee in Crema Ristretto style. As the official coffee industry partner for Shanghai’s city image promotion, and in partnership with IP SHANGHAI, Starbucks is launching the beverage on September 28 across all Starbucks stores in the city.&nbsp;

Shanghai Coffee in Crema Ristretto style is inspired by nostalgic Shanghainese childhood flavors given a distinctive Starbucks spin. It is a delicious creation made with malt, cream and smoky Starbucks ristretto espresso, infused with butter scotch flavored syrup offering layers of flavors and aromas. The first sip offers the comforting taste of Shanghai’s very own beloved malt powder, followed by the smooth taste of cold foam infused with the sweet, delicate flavor of butterscotch - a western-style candy loved by Shanghainese. Finally, coffee lovers may immerse in the bright acidity and caramelly depth of the ristretto espresso, to enjoy the artful intertwining of robust coffee flavors with a light and sweet milky aroma. 

As Starbucks celebrates its latest milestone, the company is still in the early chapters of its China growth story. In this next era of accelerated growth at Starbucks, the company expects to operate 9,000 stores across 300 cities in China by 2025, opening one new store nearly every nine hours in China for the next three years. It will also accelerate the rollout of Starbucks Greener Stores framework in China with a plan to operate 2,500 Greener Stores by FY2025.

Starbucks Opens its 6,000th Store in China : Starbucks Stories Asia

Starbucks Stories Asia

Starbucks Opens its 6,000th Store in China

Starbucks announces its 6,000th store in the Chinese mainland.

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Starbucks today announced a first look into a new drive-thru store, opening on June 1 within a bustling rest stop in Togane City, Japan. The store is the <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/asia/stories/2021/starbucks-first-greener-store-in-japan-aims-to-cut-waste/">second in Japan</a> to be certified under the Greener Stores Framework, aimed at accelerating the transformation of retail towards lower-impact stores that achieve reductions in carbon emissions, water usage and landfill waste.

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The store plays a key role in a community collaboration between Starbucks Japan, Togane City and Sanyu Plant Service Corporation, a local manufacturer, which aims to promote circularity and reduce waste, while making a positive impact for the local community. As part of the collaboration, used coffee grounds from the new store will be recycled into cattle feed, and through Starbucks <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/asia/stories/2021/starbucks-japan-announces-circularity-innovations/">coffee grounds circularity loop</a>, milk from participating dairies is then used to create handcrafted beverages at around 200 Starbucks stores across the Kanto and Kansai areas, including the new drive-thru. In addition, other food waste from the store will be turned into compost to grow produce directly at the rest stop in Togane City, in cooperation with Chiba Prefectural University of Agriculture.

Beautifully designed inside and out to reflect the area’s proud local industry, the store features local Sambu cedar and Japanese yew trees, the official trees of Togane City. As part of Starbucks global efforts to reduce carbon by 50% by 2030, the store is powered by solar panels on the roof and <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/asia/stories/2021/starbucks-japan-announces-renewable-energy-stores/">locally-generated renewable energy</a>. The solar system will include batteries that can provide backup power in the event of an outage.

Connection with the community is also central to the new store’s operation and design. "I believe that even if the actions of each of us are small, each step we take will become a path leading to the future," says Ayumi, store manager. "Starting with what we can do, we would like to build the future together with the community."

Starbucks Japan opens new store focused on coffee grounds circularity : Starbucks Stories Asia

Starbucks Japan opens new store focused on coffee grounds circularity

Starbucks new drive-thru in Japan turns used coffee grounds into compost next door.

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Located in the grounds of Tokyo’s Imperial Palace, the Wadakura Fountain Park Store is designed to reduce its carbon, water, and waste footprint, in support of Starbucks global resource-positive goals

The store will serve as a sustainability hub, informing Starbucks Greener Stores expansion across Japan

Starbucks today announced its first Greener Store in Japan, as the company accelerates the <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2021/starbucks-greener-stores-accelerate-global-movement-towards-a-more-sustainable-future/">international expansion</a> of its open-source Greener Store Framework in support of its global goal to reduce carbon emissions, water usage, and waste sent to landfills by 50% by 2030.

Located in the Outer Gardens of Tokyo’s Imperial Palace, the Wadakura Fountain Park Store has been designed with the aim of reducing its in-store waste by 40% compared to other Starbucks stores in Japan. In addition, carbon emissions by 30% and water consumption by 20% will be reduced by applying the Greener Store Framework to the store.

Opening its doors on December 1, the store will serve as a sustainability hub where Starbucks can test and scale solutions to inform its Greener Stores expansion across the market.

“Our Greener Stores allow us to test and learn how we can build and operate even more sustainable stores and inspire our partners and customers to adopt more eco-conscious behaviors,” said Michael Kobori, Starbucks chief sustainability officer. “Our first Greener Store in Japan expands on recent innovations in the market, and is a testament to the passion and energy of our partners in creating solutions to reduce our environmental impact.”

“As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Starbucks and the 25th anniversary of Starbucks Japan, we want to ensure we are creating a sustainable future for the next generation,” said Takafumi Minaguchi, Starbucks Japan ceo. “Through this new store experience, we hope to inspire our customers to join us in reducing waste, leading to planet-positive business operations, and making steady progress together towards the realization of a sustainable society.”

The store adopts enhanced operations and design features that invite customers to join Starbucks on its resource-positive journey:

Enhanced customer experience that integrates reusable behaviors into everyday routines

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Responsible design and construction with a focus on circularity

Pioneering lower-impact store operations

Starbucks Japan has recently transitioned to <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/asia/stories/2021/starbucks-japan-announces-renewable-energy-stores/">renewable energy</a> across all its company-owned stores nationwide, and continues to pilot reusable cup programs to encourage customers to adopt more reusable behaviors in their everyday routines.

<a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2021/starbucks-greener-stores-accelerate-global-movement-towards-a-more-sustainable-future/">Starbucks Greener Store Framework</a> was co-developed with World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to accelerate the transformation of retail towards lower-impact stores that achieve reductions in carbon emissions, water usage, and landfill waste. Starbucks will leverage insights from this store to inform its Greener Stores expansion across Japan and the wider region, with the company aiming to have new stores in Japan opening from October 2022 designed to meet the Greener Store Framework.

With more than 2,300 Greener Stores in the U.S. and Canada, the Wadakura Fountain Park Store is Starbucks second store outside North America to be certified under the Greener Store Framework, following the <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/asia/stories/2021/inside-starbucks-first-greener-store-in-china/">Shanghai Greener Store</a>, which opened in September 2021. Starbucks will open two new Greener Stores in the UK and Chile in 2022, as it advances towards building and retrofitting 10,000 Greener Stores globally by 2025.

For more on how Starbucks is expanding the Greener Store Framework globally, visit <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2021/starbucks-greener-stores-accelerate-global-movement-towards-a-more-sustainable-future/">Starbucks Stories</a>.

Starbucks first Greener Store in Japan aims to cut waste : Starbucks Stories Asia

Starbucks first Greener Store in Japan aims to cut waste

The first Starbucks Greener Store in Japan continues the company's progress towards planet-positive aspirations.

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The Shanghai Greener Store located in Qiantan Taikooli is the first Starbucks store certified under the <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2021/starbucks-greener-stores-accelerate-global-movement-towards-a-more-sustainable-future/">Greener Stores Framework</a> to open outside North America. Starbucks has more than 2,300 Greener Stores in the U.S. and Canada and will begin using the framework outside of North America to achieve its goal of building and retrofitting 10,000 Greener Stores globally by 2025. The Shanghai Greener Store has been designed and built to reduce waste, repurpose goods and serve as a platform for future innovation. Here are 10 ways this store uniquely celebrates Starbucks Planet Positive commitments.

1. Explore the lifecycle of a coffee bean

Upon entering the store, customers will experience and participate in the ‘from bean to cup’ story behind a cup of coffee. An inspiring micro-film brings them on a journey to the coffee origin introducing Starbucks ethical sourcing approach known as Coffee and Farmer Equity (C.A.F.E) Practices. At the same time, they can enjoy Starbucks Reserve coffees brewed artfully by coffee masters selected from across the market, who will showcase their exquisite craftsmanship while relating the fascinating story behind each coffee.

At the Shanghai Greener Store, over half the menu is plant-based. Unlike other Starbucks stores, oatmilk is used as the default option for most beverages. Starbucks has also introduced two new plant-based beverages, available for a limited time only – Salted Caramel Breve and Salted Caramel Flat White. The store offers a scrumptious variety of plant-based food offerings, including the debut of 15 new food items. A range of plant-based bakery, wraps, sandwiches, salads, cakes and pastries are available to satisfy customers’ craving at any time of the day.

3. Re-use your Starbucks cup time and time again

To encourage customers to do their part for the planet, the store offers a new Grande-sized reusable cup. Customers can purchase it for just 15 RMB when ordering beverages for on-the-go consumption. Made with Polypropylene (PP), the reusable cup design is inspired by the traditional Starbucks Siren logo. Customers can also bring their own cups for 4 RMB discount.

4. Visit the “Circular Lifestyle Lab”

A “Circular Lifestyle Lab” within the store provides a platform to spotlight sustainability-themed artwork. Kicking off the initiative is a collaboration with Tongji University’s College of Design and Innovation on an exhibition titled “Organic Prosperity,” featuring art installations created through the imaginative use of coffee grounds and other retail waste materials. The store will also host talks and workshops to inspire the public on the future possibilities of sustainable development.

The store uses a bar made up of modules designed for different functions such as ordering, beverage production, food display, and more. This modular design allows the store to quickly adjust the bar layout, by adding, removing or replacing bar modules to achieve different functional combinations, should it undergo renovation or remodeling in the future. It is expected that many aspects of the store interior can be recycled, upcycled or biodegraded.

6. Reusing materials from other Starbucks stores

At the Shanghai Greener Store, customers will find traces of other Starbucks stores from across China. The store&nbsp;uses reclaimed wood from the renovations of&nbsp;other&nbsp;Starbucks stores. This includes the countertop of the Experience Bar, steps of the ‘stadium seating’, as well as door handles, which were made from wood recovered the Starbucks Beijing Sanlitun Taikooli Flagship store.

The store uses smart, energy efficient solutions for air conditioning, lighting, water usage and daily energy consumption. For example, the lighting system is entirely automated, and features multiple modes such as daytime, dusk, late night and more with customized settings.

Sustainability has been considered across every aspect of daily operations. Paper receipts have been eliminated with the introduction of e-receipts, and customers can check on the details of their orders on the Starbucks China App. LED menu boards have also replaced paper menus. These measures reduce single-use materials and minimize waste from the very beginning.

There is a special origin behind the aprons at this store – they are made from recycled Starbucks cups. Advanced plastic-to-textile technologies are used to transform Starbucks PET cups into the iconic Starbucks green apron donned by store partners. The cups undergo deep cleaning and processing to become recycled PET fragments, which are then made into polyester chips, yarns, and fabrics, before becoming a Starbucks apron. This recycling initiative not only helps to minimize white pollution caused by PET beverage bottles, but also reduces energy and resource consumption compared to the traditional textile industry. Each apron achieves approximately one kilogram of carbon reduction in its lifecycle.

10. Finding new uses for coffee grounds &nbsp;

In a first for Starbucks in the Chinese mainland, coffee grounds from the store will be recycled. A portion of the coffee grounds will be used as fertilizer in the garden outside the store and in farms located in the suburbs, while the rest will be packaged as free gifts for customers.

Top 10 Things to Know about the Starbucks Shanghai Greener Store : Starbucks Stories Asia

Top 10 Things to Know about the Starbucks Shanghai Greener Store

Check out the top things to know about Starbucks first Greener Store in China.

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As Starbucks celebrates its 50th Anniversary, the company is expanding its Greener Store Framework to help reduce its environmental impact and leverage its scale for good to accelerate the global movement towards a more sustainable future. Starbucks is opening its first Greener Store outside of North America in Shanghai, China with a focus on circularity. The Shanghai Greener Store has been designed and built to reduce waste, repurpose goods and serve as a platform for future innovation.

Design &amp; Construction - Creating an environmentally-conscious&nbsp;third place:

Daily Operations – Promoting responsible living through a cup of coffee:

Customer Experience – Making sustainability part of everyday lifestyles:

Design &amp; Construction - Creating an environmentally-conscious third place

The Shanghai Greener Store uses recycled materials and industry-first responsible materials, achieving a balance between functional use, spatial aesthetics and circularity.

Wood reclaimed from the renovation of the Beijing Sanlitun Taikooli Flagship store were used to craft the countertop of the Experience Bar, steps of the” stadium seating,” as well as door handles, giving material that would have otherwise gone into landfills a new lease of life.

Wood recovered from stores in Shanghai was used to make table tops, while table bases are made from recycled materials combined with recycled red bricks reclaimed from stores.

The Greener Store also features a Modular Bar and Back-Of-House system constructed to enable reuse and recycling. Made of modules for different functions, the modular design allows the store to quickly adjust the bar layout, by adding, removing, or replacing bar modules to achieve different functional combinations such as ordering, beverage production, food display, and more.

The customized setup enhances efficiency while envisioning a future-forward construction that can enable full reuse, avoiding landfill waste. Modules can be easily dismantled and reassembled in different configurations in case of future renovations or remodeling. At the ‘end of life’, modules that meet reuse standards can be refurbished and used again, hence reducing waste. &nbsp;

The store also provides a more convenient environment for Starbucks partners (employees), featuring a back-of-house wall system that connects the bar and storage space. It facilitates front-flow of materials such as ice and cups and the back-flow of waste. This reduces the number of trips partners have to make between the bar and storage area, improving operational efficiency and enabling partners to focus on connections with customers.

In addition, the store utilizes Internet of Things (IoT) and smart technologies. Air conditioners can be switched on and off automatically according to the store’s operating hours, and the lighting can be automatically adjusted to different preset modes for different times of the day. Through these technologies, the store is expected to reduce carbon emissions by around 15 percent, compared to a regular Starbucks store of the same size (2019 baseline scenario).

The art installations in the store are inspired by Hacienda Alsacia, Starbucks coffee farm in Costa Rica. Referencing the region’s topographic map as the outline, the designer used colors from the ‘bean cards’ of coffees from Starbucks top 10 coffee producing regions. The colors bring a lighter touch to the rugged mountains and terrain contours, while also highlighting Starbucks appreciation for nature. Artworks are displayed in different areas of the store and are grouped according to the three largest coffee producing regions – Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Daily Operations – Promoting responsible living through a cup of coffee

Advanced plastic-to-textile technologies are used to transform Starbucks PET cups into the iconic Starbucks green apron donned by store partners. The cups undergo deep cleaning and processing to become recycled PET fragments, which are then made into polyester chips, yarns, and fabrics, before becoming a Starbucks apron.

This recycling initiative not only helps to minimize white pollution caused by PET beverage bottles, but also reduces energy and resource consumption compared to the traditional textile industry. Each apron achieves approximately one kilogram of carbon reduction in its lifecycle.

The store will be introducing “Sustainable Coffee Classrooms” hosted by coffee masters selected from across the market. In addition to coffee knowledge and culture, customers can learn about different sustainability practices adopted by Starbucks throughout the entire coffee supply chain.

The store not only showcases the “bean to cup” journey, but also inspires people to rethink the endless possibilities of the coffee lifecycle. The store is the first in the market to recycle its coffee grounds for use as fertilizer. After composting, they can be used in suburban farms and shopping mall gardens. Customers can also take coffee grounds back home for free.

Customer Experience – Making sustainability part of everyday lifestyles

The Shanghai Greener Store is the first Starbucks store globally to host sustainability-themed exhibitions, where artists will be invited to give coffee grounds and other materials a new lease of life. Called the “Circular Lifestyle Lab,” the exhibition features sustainability-themed art installations made from recycled materials.

Kicking off the initiative is a collaboration with Tongji University’s College of Design and Innovation on an exhibition titled, “Organic Prosperity,” featuring art installations created through the imaginative use of coffee grounds and other retail waste materials. Customers can also sign up for related talks and workshops.

Customers are encouraged to bring their own tumblers and cutlery to the store. Those without their own cups or tumblers can still do their part to reduce single-use cups by purchasing a Grande-sized reusable cup for just 15 RMB when ordering beverages for on-the-go consumption. Consistent with other stores in the market, the store will provide coffee grounds straws and cutlery made of biodegradable materials, while encouraging customers to bring their own reusable cup or tumblers for 4 RMB discount.

Customers may also enjoy a scrumptious variety of plant-based food and beverage offerings. Over half of the store menu will be plant-based, including the debut of 15 new food items and two new limited-time offer beverages, while oatmilk will be used as the default option for most beverages. A range of plant-based bakery, wraps, sandwiches, salads, cakes and pastries will be available to satisfy customers’ craving at any time of the day.

From design and construction, to daily store operations and customer experience, the Shanghai Greener Store not only serves as a re-imagined third place, but also demonstrate Starbucks partners’ commitment to a sustainable future. Let us work together towards our shared aspiration.

Inside Starbucks first Greener Store in China : Starbucks Stories Asia

Inside Starbucks first Greener Store in China

Starbucks is opening its first Greener Store outside of North America in Shanghai, China with a focus on circularity.

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