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Japanese media: has the number of Starbucks become the economic indicator of Chinese cities?

Published: 2026-05-16 Author: World Gafei

Last Updated: 2026/05/16, For the exchange of professional baristas, please follow the coffee workshop (Wechat official account cafe_style) Japan's Sankei Shimbun article on June 22, the original title: the number of Starbucks has become an economic indicator? Local government officials also care about the number of shops, which city has the largest number of shops? According to Chinese media, the number of stores in Starbucks, an American coffee chain, has become a new indicator of the competitiveness of Chinese cities.

For professional baristas, please follow the coffee workshop (Wechat official account cafe_style)

Japan's Sankei Shimbun article on June 22, the original title: "Starbucks" the number of economic indicators? Local government officials also care about the number of shops, which city has the largest number of shops? The number of stores in Starbucks, an American coffee chain, has become a new "indicator" of the competitiveness of Chinese cities, according to Chinese media. This means that the number of Starbucks in the city is related to the income of residents and the consumption amount of tourists, and it is known as the "Starbucks Index" on the Internet, which has attracted a lot of attention.

According to Starbucks' official Chinese website, there are now more than 2,600 stores in more than 120 cities in China, of which 539 are located in Shanghai, accounting for 20% of the total in China. Compared with Japan, there are 1260 stores in Japan and 40 per cent in Shanghai alone.

On the other hand, some cities are "dissatisfied" with the small number of Starbucks stores. Xi'an has 40 stores, but city officials said at the beginning of this year that "this is obviously not enough, 400 is more or less". Similarly, as a municipality directly under the Central Government, Chongqing has only 39 stores, which is obviously out of proportion to the size of the city. Chinese media believe that the amount of money spent by foreign tourists to Chongqing is far lower than that of Shanghai and Beijing, which may be one reason for the small number of Chongqing. Starbucks website stressed, "now, China has become the second largest market after the United States."

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