Starbucks is ramping up expansion, with plans to open 150 to 175 new company-operated stores in the U.S. and 450 to 500 international locations in fiscal 2026.
The coffee giant expects to open approximately 600 to 650 net new cafés globally this year. Nearly half of the international openings will be in China, Starbucks’ largest market outside the U.S.
Speaking at its Investor Day 2026 in New York City, Starbucks said it expects to accelerate growth further in the coming years.
By fiscal 2028, the company projects more than 2,000 net new store openings across its company-operated and licensed portfolio, including roughly 400 new U.S. company-operated locations.
New openings will increasingly feature smaller-format designs that are less expensive to build while still offering seating, drive-thru service and mobile order pickup.
“Even with our scale, the U.S. coffeehouse growth opportunity for Starbucks is big and broad,” COO Mike Grams said.
Starbucks is also continuing its store “uplift” program, which refreshes existing locations. The company has completed about 200 upgrades to date, primarily in New York City and Southern California, and expects to exceed 1,000 uplifted stores by the end of fiscal 2026.
It also plans to add more than 25,000 café seats across the U.S. this year.
Looking longer term, Starbucks sees up to 5,000 additional coffeehouse opportunities in the U.S., a figure the company said could double as average unit volumes increase.
Internationally, Starbucks aims to double its store footprint over time, approaching 40,000 locations outside the U.S., driven largely by 15,000 to 20,000 new stores in China. International licensed stores are expected to grow at roughly twice the pace of North America.
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The expansion plans come as Starbucks works through its “Back to Starbucks” turnaround strategy. The company said it delivered same-store sales growth in the U.S. and every major global market in the first quarter of fiscal 2026.
Operational initiatives include the rollout of “Green Apron Service” across North American company-operated stores, which Starbucks said is improving service times, throughput and customer satisfaction.
On the menu, the company is introducing new espresso, matcha and chai beverages, expanding protein-forward offerings, and leaning further into cold drinks and customization.
Starbucks is also increasing its use of artificial intelligence to support supply chain management, scheduling and in-store operations.
New technology includes next-generation espresso machines and a “smart queue” system that coordinates café, mobile, drive-thru and delivery orders.
As a result, peak throughput times fell to under four minutes on average across U.S. café and drive-thru locations in the first quarter, the company said.
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