For fall fanatics nationwide, the return of Starbucks’s Pumpkin Spice Latte was an August spotlight. Nevertheless it’s protected to say that nobody was happier than Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol.
In a message despatched to workers on September 1, Niccol shared that the coffeehouse’s fall menu launch on August 26 led to its strongest Tuesday gross sales day ever—momentum that continued by way of the next days and finally notched a record-breaking gross sales week for the corporate. In response to Quick Firm‘s request, Starbucks declined to share extra particular numbers for the week’s gross sales.
“Each coffeehouse I visited this week was buzzing with vitality,” Niccol wrote within the memo. “And I’ve heard improbable suggestions from prospects and companions that they see and really feel the distinction. Your ardour is exhibiting up in each cup and each interplay.”
Since exiting his submit as the pinnacle of Chipotle final August to helm a beleaguered Starbucks, Niccol has been on a mission to show the espresso chain round. To date, Starbucks’s gross sales numbers haven’t solely demonstrated that the chain is rebounding—however the fall launch would possibly simply be the information level Niccol must sign that an upward trajectory is lastly incoming.
Starbucks says it’s “gaining momentum”
Niccol’s “Again to Starbucks” plan is pulling a couple of completely different levers on the firm. To begin, Starbucks is updating its in-store expertise to align extra intently with its early roots, bringing again extra seating and customized touches like handwritten notes on cups.
It’s additionally pivoting away from a pandemic-induced give attention to cellular ordering in an try to reframe the espresso store as a fascinating “third area.” And, lately, the corporate has begun introducing new menu improvements geared towards youthful prospects, like a protein chilly foam and a TikTok-inspired “secret menu.”
Predictably, none of those strikes has been a one-off repair to Starbucks’s broader issues. On July 29, the corporate reported its sixth consecutive quarter of same-store gross sales declines (a metric that measures the income change of established places over time). Income, nevertheless, was up 4%, to $9.6 billion. On the time, Niccol advised buyers in a video message: “Whereas our monetary outcomes don’t but replicate all of the progress we’ve made, the indicators are clear—we’re gaining momentum.”
He added in a press launch that, primarily based on his expertise in turnarounds, the corporate is forward of schedule. “In 2026, we’ll unleash a wave of innovation that fuels progress, elevates customer support, and ensures everybody experiences the perfect of Starbucks,” Niccol wrote.
Proper now, it’s too quickly to inform how the autumn menu’s early success will impression the corporate’s fourth-quarter financials. However, given the plain fandom that’s emerged across the PSL, it wouldn’t precisely come as a shock if the autumn season helps nudge Niccol’s turnaround plan into excessive gear.
