Seoul: Starbucks Korea is planning to add at least 100 outlets this year after recently opening its 2,003rd store in Asia's fourth-biggest economy, an industry source said Thursday. The Seattle-based coffee giant introduced its first store in front of Ewha Womans University in Seoul in 1999 in partnership with local retailer Shinsegae Group.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Korea now ranks third in terms of the number of Starbucks outlets, following the United States with 16,941 stores and China with 7,596. Japan, meanwhile, has 1,986 Starbucks outlets. Starbucks Korea is also expected to report a record 3 trillion won (US$2.09 billion) in sales for 2024, with its sales for the January-October period increasing by 6.2 percent year-on-year to 2.28 trillion won.

In 2023, the company posted sales of 2.93 trillion won. Its strong performance has been attributed to aggressive marketing efforts, including a collaboration with Warner Brothers to launch Harry Potter-inspired products and differentiated customer services. The company introduced vibration bells at its outlets in March 2023 to notify customers when their orders are ready, replacing the previous "call my name" service.

Starbucks coffee has also been available on major delivery app Baedal Minjok, or Baemin, since April 2024. Shinsegae's discount store chain E-Mart Inc. holds a 67.5 percent stake in the coffee chain, while the Government of Singapore Investment Corp. (GIC) owns the remaining 32.5 percent stake.