Starbucks Expands in Germany

More Starbucks coffee shops will pop up in shopping malls and streets all over Germany in the next few years. Chairman of the Seattle-based corporation, Howard Schultz, has announced he wants to expand the company's position on the German market after parting ways with German business partner Karlstadt-Quelle in November 2004. When Starbucks opened its first cafe in Germany three years ago, the goal was to have 180 stores across the country. But according to Schultz, problems with Karlstadt set back the chain's expansion and today there are only 37 Starbucks stores in Germany. The German retail giant cancelled the contract with Starbucks last year and the Americans will now run the German retail stores on their own. Howard Schultz would not give an indication of when he expects to make a profit from Starbucks in Germany which has so far been stuck in the red. The first new Starbucks' stores will open in Düsseldorf and Munich in May.