The world’s largest coffee chain Starbucks said on Monday that 85 percent of its United States stores will have reopened in some form by the end of the week.
Starbucks chief executive officer Kevin Johnson made the announcement in a letter to customers and partners, adding that 90 percent of stores will be open by early June, however, many stores have modified operations and hours, Deutsche press agency (DPA) reported.
“After seven weeks of sheltering at home in the US, we have embraced an approach of monitoring, rapidly adapting to, and even shaping, the ‘now normal,'” Johnson said.
Last week the global coffee chain reported a 10-percent decline in sales at its stores around the world in the last quarter, as the coronavirus hit its business.
Worldwide sales fared worse than those in the US, with China seeing comparable-store sales down 50 percent. Same-store sales in the US fell 3 percent during the quarter through the end of March.
Sales in the US have been declining since March 12, and the downward trend has intensified since then, with increasing exit restrictions and branch closings in the country.
“As we gradually come out of isolation, people will crave the connection and community that are fundamental to humanity,” Johnson said, adding that the operations are changing to “meet evolving customer expectations and societal change.”
Starbucks has expanded drive-thru services and means of contactless pick-up and delivery.
Johnson said nearly 20 million people are using the Starbucks application as part of their “daily routine.”
