Back to Starbucks: A new licensee model for UK growth
For more than 50 years, Starbucks has grown by staying true to what made us special in the first place: great coffee, welcoming coffeehouses, and meaningful connections with our customers and partners.
Today, as we look ahead to the next phase of our journey across the UK, we’re recommitting to those foundations – and to the partnerships that help bring them to life every day.
That’s why we’re introducing a new licensee model designed to support long-term growth, clarity and collaboration, while staying true to our Back to Starbucks ambition.
Putting Starbucks back at the heart of growth
Back to Starbucks means returning to the core of our brand – creating coffeehouses where partners feel proud to work, customers want to spend time, and coffee quality and connection are always front and centre. It’s about re‑establishing Starbucks as the third place between home and work: a place to meet, pause, and belong.
This renewed focus is already shaping everything from store design and food and beverage innovation to how we invest in our estate. And it’s also guiding how we grow – together with our licensees.
Growth, built in partnership
Licensed stores are a vital part of Starbucks success. Across the UK, they already represent the majority of our estate, and they will continue to play a central role in how we grow in the years ahead.
The new licensee model is designed to strengthen that partnership by creating clearer, more collaborative ways of working. At its heart is a shared ambition: sustainable growth that works for everyone – our licensees, our partners in stores, and the communities we serve.
Rather than competing for the same opportunities, the new approach brings greater transparency and alignment around where and how we grow. It supports smarter portfolio planning, clearer market focus, and a shared commitment to building stores that are designed to succeed for the long term.
This is about opening the right stores, in the right places, with formats that reflect local needs – from drive‑thrus and high streets to cafés that anchor local neighbourhoods.
A shared opportunity
By working more closely with licensees, we can move faster, share best practice, and bring innovation to customers more quickly – while staying true to the values that define the Starbucks brand.
The new licensee model for the UK marks an important reset – one that sets Starbucks up for the next decade of growth. It reflects confidence in our brand, belief in our partners, and a clear view of the opportunity ahead.
Most importantly, it reinforces something that has always been true at Starbucks: we grow best when we grow together.
Designed for the long term
Our ambition for growth is matched by our commitment to quality and longevity. Every one of our stores must be a place that partners are proud of, customers return to, and communities value.
That means investing not just in new locations, but in existing stores too – improving coffeehouse environments, enhancing food and beverage offers, and ensuring the Starbucks experience feels consistent, relevant and welcoming wherever you visit.
The new licensee model was shared this week at our UK Store Growth Strategy forum, hosted by UK Store Development Director Darren King.
“Our licensed business is absolutely critical to our growth,” said Darren. “This new model is about growing together – with clarity, transparency and a genuine win‑win for our partners.”
“As we continue our Back to Starbucks journey, we’re excited to build the future of our coffeehouses in partnership – creating places that feel unmistakably Starbucks, rooted in their communities, and ready for the years ahead.”
