SEATTLE — Starbucks Corp. is expanding the products and places it sells to customers and adding extrassuch as free online access to Marvel Comics in its cafes and single-serve coffee machines in other stores.
The company has been working for some time to move its business beyond its cafes, which took a hit during the recession but have since rebounded. On Wednesday, executives laid out how the company is putting its new strategy into practice.
The company also announced plans to enhance the free Wi-Fi network it provides in nearly 7,000 company-operated cafes, adding access to subscription and Web services, including The Economist, ESPN Insider Rumor Center and Mediabistro.
Chief executive Howard Schultz said one of Starbucks’ critical steps is expanding its consumer packaged-goods business, which he said could one day rival its retail business in revenue. A key component of that will be increasing single-serve coffee sales in the U.S., an estimated $1.6 billion market. Starbucks says two-thirds of the growth in the U.S. coffee market during the past year has come from the single-serve market. The Associated Press
