World's 2nd largest Starbucks store opens in Beijing

Starbucks Corporation opened its second-largest flagship store in the world on June 29 in Beijing to upgrade its innovations in both consumer experience and product categories.

The Beijing Fun flagship store has been launched only about a half year after the opening of Starbucks' largest outlet -- the Shanghai Reserve Roastery.

Located in the newly built Beijing Fun commercial area, the 1,040-square-meter store has three floors offering handmade drinks of coffee, tea and even alcoholic blends for visitors to the Dashilan area, which is renowned for its historical and cultural heritage in the capital.

Leo Tsoi, chief operating officer of Starbucks China, said Thursday that the modern design of the building is mixed with traditional elements, inspired by the Palace Museum in the neighborhood and the capital's famous courtyard architecture.

Tsoi said the innovations developed for this store will also boost creative ideas for the opening of upcoming outlets in the country.

China is the largest market for Starbucks after the United States. In May, Starbucks held its first China investors meeting in Shanghai with a goal to focus on "enhancing its immersive, coffee-forward approach to elevating the third place, building deeper customer relationships in digital and extending the Starbucks Experience to the on-the-go and at-home consumers."

It plans to build 600 new stores annually over the next five years in China – a goal that will double the market's store count from the end of fiscal year 2017 to over 6,000 across 230 cities.

Today, Starbucks operates about 3,300 stores in 141 cities in China.