Starbucks to open first Viet Nam store in February 2013

HO CHI MINH CITY, Viet Nam – Coffee aficionados will be able to have their Starbucks drinks in Viet Nam soon. The company will expand its long-term relationship with Hong Kong Maxim’s Group to include operations of in Viet Nam. The first café is scheduled to open in Ho Chi Minh City in early February 2013.

Starbucks has granted Maxim’s Group subsidiary, Coffee Concepts (Vietnam) Limited, the license agreement for the Viet Nam market and both teams are pleased to expand the relationship beyond Hong Kong and Macau. Coffee Concepts will be the licensee for operating Starbucks stores in this dynamic market.

“Viet Nam is one of the most dynamic and exciting markets in the world and we are proud to add Vietnam as the 12th market across the China and Asia Pacific region,” said John Culver, president, Starbucks China and Asia Pacific. “Starbucks is deeply respectful of Viet Nam’s long and distinctive local coffee culture. We know coffee is a national pride for many Vietnamese and as such, we look forward to contributing and growing Vietnam’s already vibrant coffee industry. As we continue to source more Vietnamese high-quality, arabica coffee we want to leverage our scale to bring the best of Vietnam’s coffee traditions to the rest of the world.”

Starbucks has built the brand by delivering a consistent, authentic in-store experience to customers around the globe. The Starbucks Experience is built on sourcing high-quality arabica coffee, delivering high-quality product innovation and surprising and delighting customers with an uplifting experience through engaged, passionate and knowledgeable baristas.

“Our partnership with Starbucks has more than 10 years of history and we are proud to deliver the Starbucks Experience to our customers in Hong Kong and Macau today,” said Michael Wu, Chairman and managing director, Hong Kong Maxim’s Group. “We are looking forward to leveraging our expertise and deep understanding of the Starbucks brand to welcome Vietnamese customers to our stores, earning their trust and respect with the unparalleled Starbucks Experience, known by customers around the globe.”

With 41-years of coffee heritage and expertise, Starbucks is the coffee leader globally and has built the brand on its passion and pursuit of the highest quality coffee. Starbucks already purchases a notable amount of some of the highest-quality arabica coffee from Viet Nam and is committed to sourcing more arabica coffee from the Viet Nam region over the long-term. The company will continue to promote responsible business practices and production standards within its existing and prospective supply chains and will work closely with local coffee farming communities to elevate the quality of arabica coffee and introduce customers globally to the rich Vietnamese coffee heritage.

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