Starbucks Corp. will be joining forces with Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. to begin delivering its drinks and baked goods in China, according to people with knowledge of the plans, rolling out an effort to stave off competitors and turn around sales in the country. Ele.me, the meals delivery service
(Bloomberg) — Starbucks Corp. will be joining forces with Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. to begin delivering its drinks and baked goods in China, according to people with knowledge of the plans, rolling out an effort to stave off competitors and turn around sales in the country.
Ele.me, the meals delivery service owned by Alibaba, will handle the logistics in a deal that will be announced Thursday, according to the people, who asked not to be named because the information is not yet public. Starbucks last week said it plans to start deliveries with a partner this fall in Beijing and Shanghai.
A Starbucks representative said it doesn’t comment on speculation. Alibaba said the company and Starbucks are “always exploring new ways to deepen our long-term partnership in China.” The two companies partnered to make visits to Starbucks’ Roastery high-tech store in Shanghai interactive.
Starbucks is coming to the delivery game late as it faces a rare sales decline in the world’s second-biggest economy. The company has said it aims to establish itself as a daily routine for tech-savvy consumers in China, which the company expects to surpass the U.
