05:09 AM EST, 02/14/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Starbucks ( SBUX ) plans to open 500 new stores and add 5,000 jobs in the Middle East over the next five years, Bloomberg reported Friday, citing Chief Executive Officer Brian Niccol.

Through a licensing agreement with Kuwait's Alshaya Group, the company already operates over 1,300 stores in the region, the report said.

In an interview with Bloomberg, Niccol also said Starbucks ( SBUX ) will add thousands more stores in China in the future.

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