STARBUCKS` PROFITABILITY BASICS

Years ago, coffee was simply a beverage as opposed to how it has evolved today. Nowadays, it is part of most people's lifestyles, and in some ways has become a status symbol as well. Without a doubt, the word "caffeine" always rings a bell for many as they associate it with one prominent brand: Starbucks. Basically, this brand was founded in 1971 in Seattle, which multiplied to 25,000 branches in a decade. This company has largely expanded globally, molding a whole new perspective for the industry.

The main foundation of this famous coffee brand is surprisingly low-tech with a delicious margin. Even a simple black coffee from Starbucks sells four times higher than their incurred costs. From a mere drink, it was able to turn itself into an $86B worth of business that has invaded around 70 countries.

Operations in Starbucks are separated per region which includes something called Channel Development. This covers materials they use which is also available on supermarkets such as bottles and packed grounds of coffee.

Given the number of its outlets, people tend to assume that these are the result of franchises. However, the entity only has a few franchisees, and does not accept submissions from North America. Not all stores are company-owned though, although 79% of business' revenue comes from stores managed by firms which means that thousands of them are under licensing deals. These kinds of outlets are dominant in the coffee giant's home market, comprising 42% of their total 15,607 stores in N.America. For the remaining countries, however, licensed branches account for 55% of those located in Asia, 80% of those elsewhere.

Despite this, the company’s own shops made up 79% of their $16.8B revenue last year. Moreover, the cafe’s cozy nature encourages longer stays, which is beneficial as customers buy more the longer they loiter, as opposed to when they opt for takeouts. This is why the operating margins of licensed shops are higher than that of conventional ones.

Unknown to many, Starbucks also owns similar cafes which many assume to be their rivals such as Seattle’s Best. In terms of retail, over 70% of their revenue comes from drinks, while the remaining portion is generated from pastries and offered items.

At present, the cafe’s figures continue to rise, especially with the 39% decrease in wholesale coffee prices. A double-digit growth is normal for the business, and its revenue has hiked in almost every region in 2016. Aside from this, customers nowadays like to pay for the cachet despite the lack of sense and practicality in doing so.