Rumor has it that Alibaba (09988) is interested in bidding for Starbucks China shares. Related people respond: Fake news

Zhitongcaijing · 5d ago

The Zhitong Finance App learned that recently, there was news that Alibaba (09988) is interested in bidding for shares in Starbucks China. In response, a relevant person from Alibaba responded on April 15, saying that the news was “fake news.”

In the second half of 2024, it was revealed that Starbucks China was considering selling shares or introducing strategic partners to meet market challenges. According to previous media reports, potential buyers participating in the bid for Starbucks China include companies such as China Resources and Meituan, as well as PE institutions such as KKR, Fangyuan Capital, and PAG. Starbucks China's valuation may exceed $1 billion.

Starbucks is facing challenges at various levels in the Chinese market, such as customer unit price and revenue. Financial reports show that in the first fiscal quarter of fiscal year 2025, Starbucks achieved operating profit of US$1,122 million, a year-on-year decrease of 24.5%. The realized net profit was US$781 million, down 23.8% year over year. Starbucks global same-store sales fell 4% during the quarter, and same-store sales in China fell 6% (mainly affected by a 4% drop in average sales price and a 2% drop in same-store transactions).