Starbucks Coffee Co.

Starbucks is bringing its new immersive store concept to Tokyo.   The coffee giant will open a Reserve Roastery in Tokyo, in 2018. Located in the Nakameguro district, an upscale neighborhood, the Roastery will be designed in collaboration with Kengo Kuma, a world-renowned architect and founder of Kuma Lab at the University of Tokyo.  

Starbucks Corp. announced its most ambitious expansion plans to date for China, and also named its first CEO for the country.   Starbucks said it plans to double its store count in China, growing to 5,000 stores by 2021. Overseeing the expansion will be Belinda Wong, who has promoted from president to CEO of Starbucks China, effective immediately.   

Starbucks Corp. has opened its 1,000th LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) location.    The store, in Ames, Iowa, uses LED lighting to decrease energy use by 30%. Water use was reduced by more than 50% due to low flow sinks and other equipment.    

Kohl’s Corp. has joined the ranks of Walmart, Starbucks and other companies to offer its own mobile payments app.    The retailer launched Kohl’s Pay on Wednesday, hoping to speed up checkout in its stores. Using the app, shoppers can integrate their Kohl’s private label credit card and their Yes2You Rewards member number directly in the app’s mobile wallet. The technology also saves earned Kohl’s Cash and Yes2You Rewards.  

If any retail CEO is going to endorse a candidate in this year’s presidential race, Howard Schultz would certainly rank at the top of the list.  

Photo: Sonya Gafsi Oblisk    Whole Foods Market named the former VP of marketing for Walmart’s Sam’s Club division as global VP of marketing.  

At the Converse Store on the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica, “customization maestros” help sneaker fans manufacture their dream shoe.   

Beauty giant Sephora scores the highest when it comes to online gifting.    That’s according to RSR Research’s sixth annual digital gifting benchmarking report.  Sephora came out on top, scoring 55 points out of a possible 66 points, followed by Starbucks (50.5) and The Home Depot (46.5). Rounding out the top five: Dunkin’ Donuts (44.5) and Amazon (43). (The top 25 retailers in the study are listed at the end of article.)