Starbucks Company Timeline
Starbucks Company Timeline
Starbucks Company Timeline
Starbucks Company Timeline
1971 Starbucks opens first store in Seattle’s Pike Place Market. 1994 Total stores: 425
1982 Howard Schultz joins Starbucks as director of retail 1995 Begins serving Frappuccino® blended beverages.
operations and marketing. Starbucks begins providing coffee Introduces Starbucks® super‐premium ice cream.
to fine restaurants and espresso bars. Announces second two‐for‐one stock split.
Opens roasting facility in York, Pa.
1983 Howard travels to Italy, where he’s impressed with the Total stores: 677
popularity of espresso bars in Milan. He sees the potential to
develop a similar coffeehouse culture in Seattle.
1996 Begins selling bottled Frappuccino® coffee drink through
North American Coffee Partnership (Starbucks and Pepsi‐
1984 Howard convinces the founders of Starbucks to test the Cola North America).
coffeehouse concept in downtown Seattle, where the first
Opens stores in: Japan (first store outside of North America)
Starbucks® Caffè Latte is served. This successful experiment is
and Singapore.
the genesis for a company that Schultz founds in 1985.
Total stores: 1,015
1985 Howard founds Il Giornale, offering brewed coffee and
espresso beverages made from Starbucks® coffee beans. 1997 Establishes The Starbucks Foundation, benefiting local
literacy programs.
1987 Il Giornale acquires Starbucks assets with the backing of Opens stores in: the Philippines.
local investors and changes its name to Starbucks Total stores: 1,412
Corporation. Opens in Chicago and Vancouver, Canada.
Total stores*: 17 1998 Acquires Tazo, a tea company based in Portland, Ore.
Extends the Starbucks brand into grocery channels
1988 Offers full health benefits to eligible full‐ and part‐time across the U.S.
employees. Launches Starbucks.com.
Total stores: 33 Opens stores in: Malaysia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Thailand
and U.K.
1989 Total stores: 55 Total stores: 1,886
1990 Starbucks expands headquarters in Seattle. 1999 Partners with Conservation International to promote
Total stores: 84 sustainable coffee‐growing practices.
Acquires Hear Music, a San Francisco–based music
1991 Becomes the first privately owned U.S. company to offer a company.
stock option program that includes part‐time employees. Announces third two‐for‐one stock split.
Opens first licensed airport store at Seattle’s Sea‐Tac Opens stores in: China, Kuwait, Lebanon and South Korea.
International Airport. Total stores: 2,498
Total stores: 116
2000 Howard Schultz transitions to chairman and chief global
1992 Completes initial public offering (IPO), with common stock strategist, Orin Smith promoted to president and chief
being traded on the NASDAQ National Market under the executive officer.
trading symbol SBUX. Establishes licensing agreement with TransFair USA to sell
Total stores: 165 Fairtrade certified coffee in U.S. and Canada.
Opens stores in: Australia, Bahrain, Hong Kong, Qatar, Saudi
1993 Opens roasting plant in Kent, Wash. Arabia and United Arab Emirates.
Announces first two‐for‐one stock split. Total stores: 3,501
Total stores: 272
© 2011 STARBUCKS COFFEE COMPANY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Starbucks Company Timeline
* All store counts reflect end of fiscal year for company‐owned stores
** (Pike Place is a trademark of the Pike Place Market PDA, used under license).
© 2011 STARBUCKS COFFEE COMPANY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.