Starbucks posted financial results for the quarter ended March 27, once again prompting cynical restaurant competitors to wonder if steroids testing should be implemented. Despite its size, the coffee giant generated the sort of gains that are more typical of growth concepts or Silicon Valley powerhouses.
Here are some metrics in particular that might bring tears.
- Membership in Starbucks’ loyalty program grew by 8 percent during the quarter, a 16 percent leap on a year-over-year basis. It ended March with 12 million consumers enrolled within the United States.
- Mobile orders fielded during the quarter were double the volume handled a year earlier. That translates into 8 million Mobile Order and Pay transactions per month.
- Traffic grew by 12 million transactions in the United States alone. The uptake accounted for three points of Starbucks’ 7 percent year-over-year rise in domestic comparable sales for the quarter.
- The chain’s store count for North America rose by a net of 132 units, even with the closure of 132 cafes that had been operating inside Target department stores in Canada. Globally, 350 branches were added, or 140 more than were opened during the same quarter of the prior year.
- While many American restaurant brands are struggling in China, Starbucks posted a 3 percent year-over-year comparable-restaurant sales gain for its China/Asia Pacific region. Traffic rose 2 percent globally.
A bonus Whoa! inducer: Starbucks doesn’t franchise domestically, but it’s becoming a major suitor for standout overseas partners. The company announced an agreement to sell all of its branches in Germany to AmRest Holdings, the global mega-franchisee, and reminded investors that it intends to grow through licensing in Italy and the Caribbean.
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