Starbucks serves up big expansion plans

Java junkies often must journey more than two blocks to find a Starbucks, which the company sees as a problem, its chief executive said this week.

As a fix, Starbucks plans to more than triple the number of its worldwide outlets to 30,000, with half of those in the United States.

“Despite what you hear now that we must be nearing saturation in North America, that is not true,” Chief Executive Orin Smith told analysts, saying convenience mattered both to frequent and infrequent Starbucks customers.

“Americans don’t walk, so if you have to go more than two blocks, they don’t go,” he said.

Starbucks will focus its growth in American suburbs and small towns, with many of the new coffee shops being drive-throughs. It currently has about 8,500 stores, including the one pictured above in downtown Seattle.

Economy

Retail sales increase

Shoppers rediscovered their urge to splurge in September, catapulting retail sales up by the largest percentage gain in six months.

Sales jumped 1.5 percent in September, the best showing since March and a turnaround from the 0.2 percent drop in August, the Commerce Department said.

The buying bounce seen in September suggested that consumers, the economy’s lifeblood, still have an inclination to spend despite the galloping energy prices and a questionable jobs outlook, both of which have weighed on their confidence.

International

Brownback supports Airbus subsidy challenge

U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback said Friday he pressed the Boeing Co. for several years to challenge European governments’ subsidies to Airbus.

“They weren’t ready to do that because they were fearful of losing sales to Europe,” Brownback said. “But it has gotten so bad at this point in time, they are saying we have virtually nothing to lose.”

U.S. trade officials filed a complaint last week with the World Trade Organization contesting government subsidies to France-based Airbus.

The Kansas senator said if the United States was not successful in negotiating the airliner trade case, then U.S. government subsidies to Boeing would be the next step.

Retail

Coke, Pepsi to add nutritional information

No more having to do the math to figure out exactly how many calories and carbohydrates are in that 20-ounce bottle of soda.

New nutritional information on labels of Coca-Cola, Pepsi and other popular soft drinks will soon break it down for you.

Coca-Cola Co.’s North America division and PepsiCo Inc.’s Pepsi-Cola division made separate announcements Friday that starting next year, they will roll out new labels on bottles.