Starbucks: Rumors are not true — to the half

Seattle / WA. (beu) United States based Coffee shop chain Starbucks Corporation plans to enter the Argentina market as well as expand its brand in Chile and Colombia. Starbucks is planning these expansions through its Mexican based Regional Franchise Alsea, which also operates several US based restaurants in Mexico including Burger King, Chilis Grill + Bar and Domino´s Pizza – we read some days ago in the international financial press. Reports published earlier this month in local dailies and news magazines, that the Coffee shop chain had reached an agreement with Azout were not true, a spokesman in Seattle says now: «Starbucks is always searching for potential partners, but we do not have any kind of agreement with Samuel Azout or anyone else to develop the Colombian market». The company opened its first coffee shop in Latin America in Mexico City 2002, and the Washington based coffee giant has since gradually expanded its presence in Latin America to Chile, Peru, Brazil and the Caribbean. Mexican fast food operator Alsea last month said it had signed a letter of intent with Starbucks to develop new coffee shops in Argentina and increase the number of outlets in Chile. Colombia is the world´s largest producer of mild washed arabica coffee, with annual output of between eleven million and twelve million 60-kilogram bags in recent years. It is the third-largest producer overall, after Brazil and Vietnam.