Starbucks has reported a return to global comparable store sales growth, its first increase in seven quarters, benefitting from gains in international markets.
Comparable store sales across the coffee giant’s global estate rose 1%.
The US market recorded flat same‑store sales overall but moved into positive territory in September 2025.
International comparable store sales rose 3%, supported by a 6% increase in comparable transactions.
Consolidated net revenues for the quarter were $9.6bn, up 5% from the previous year.
North America net revenues increased 3% year‑on‑year to $6.9bn, though that gain was partly offset by a decline in the licensed store business. The international segment’s net revenues grew 9% versus the same quarter of the previous year, to $2.1bn.
“We’re a year into our ‘Back to Starbucks’ strategy, and it’s clear that our turnaround is taking hold,” stated chairman and CEO Brian Niccol.
Niccol, who took the reins of the business in September 2024, has focused the turnaround on reducing operational complexity and improving the in‑store customer experience.
Starbucks recorded a $1bn charge for the restructuring.
The company closed 627 stores as part of the restructuring, with more than 90% of those closures in North America, and laid off 900 employees.
These measures significantly hit profitability.
Fiscal fourth‑quarter net income attributable to Starbucks was $133.1m, or $0.12 per share, down from $909.3m, or $0.80 per share, a year earlier.
Generally accepted accounting principles operating margin fell 1,150 basis points year‑on‑year to 2.9%, mainly due to restructuring costs from coffeehouse closures and support‑organisation simplification, inflation, labour‑intensive investments for “Back to Starbucks” and deleveraging.
The company recorded 107 net store closures in the quarter and finished the period with 40,990 stores globally. At the end of the quarter, the US and China together accounted for 61% of Starbucks’ store footprint, with 16,864 stores in the US and 8,011 in China.
Starbucks chief financial officer Cathy Smith stated: “[The fourth quarter] was a milestone quarter in getting ‘Back to Starbucks’, having delivered global comp growth for the first time in seven quarters.
“We know this continues to be a multi-year turnaround. We remain focused on driving our topline while managing the costs that are within our control to deliver durable, sustainable growth and long-term shareholder value.”
