Starbucks are collaborating with Alibaba to start coffee deliveries in China as part of plans to expand both its online and physical presence in the country.
Working with Ele.me, Alibaba’s food delivery platform, Starbucks will begin a pilot delivery service in September in 150 stores in the Beijing and Shanghai areas. If successful, the service will be extended to more than 2,000 Starbucks stores across 30 cities by the end of 2018.
The service will enable customers to order their coffee via an app without visiting a store.
Kevin Johnson, president and chief executive of Starbucks, said: “Thanks to the elevated customer experience delivered by our over 45,000 partners, Starbucks is growing and innovating faster in China than anywhere else in the world. Our transformational partnership with Alibaba will reshape modern retail and represents a significant milestone in our efforts to exceed the expectations of Chinese consumers.”
Daniel Zhang, chief executive of Alibaba, added: “Starbucks is more than a destination for premium coffee and we share the same vision to pioneer a new coffee culture and lifestyle through innovation and technology. Alibaba is thrilled to expand our existing partnership with Starbucks by leveraging our cutting-edge 'New Retail' infrastructure and digital power to enable an unprecedented experience for consumers."
