STARBUCKS CORP: insider trades · United States · SEC (Form 4)

About STARBUCKS CORP

Starbucks Corp (ticker: SBUX) is a flagship specialty retail and consumer brand listed in the United States on the Nasdaq market (commonly grouped in market analysis with the U.S. large-cap NYSE/NASDAQ universe). The company was founded in 1971 in Seattle’s Pike Place Market, originally as a roaster and retailer of whole-bean coffee, tea and spices. Its corporate headquarters remain tied to Seattle, Washington, United States. Today, Starbucks operates a global coffeehouse platform built around company-operated and licensed stores. Its core revenue engine is the sale of handcrafted beverages, including espresso-based drinks, brewed coffee, cold beverages and tea, alongside a food assortment that includes breakfast items, pastries, sandwiches, snacks and light meal offerings. Beyond the café channel, Starbucks extends its brand through packaged coffee, ready-to-drink beverages and licensed consumer products, giving it exposure to at-home consumption, convenience channels and travel-related retail. This multi-channel model helps smooth demand and broadens the brand’s reach beyond the four walls of the store. From a competitive standpoint, Starbucks remains one of the world’s most recognizable premium coffee brands. Its scale, premium positioning, store footprint, beverage innovation, roasting expertise and digital loyalty ecosystem form a durable competitive moat. The brand is supported by strong customer familiarity and high-frequency usage, while personalization and the loyalty program help sustain traffic and basket size. Starbucks competes not only with global coffee chains, but also with quick-service restaurants, local cafés and branded beverage players across multiple dayparts. Geographically, Starbucks has a broad international footprint, with especially important exposure to North America and China. Recent company disclosures show that Starbucks ended fiscal Q4 2025 with 40,990 stores globally, including 16,864 stores in the United States and 8,011 in China. The company has also been executing its “Back to Starbucks” restructuring initiative, which includes targeted store closures and a broader simplification of operations. In 2026, Starbucks also disclosed an agreement with Boyu Capital to form a joint venture around its China retail business, underscoring the strategic importance of that market and the company’s willingness to adapt its operating model there. For investors, Starbucks remains a globally scaled consumer franchise with a premium brand, strong recurring demand characteristics and a meaningful transformation agenda.