Starbucks to move Europe headquarters to London

Seattle – Starbucks Corp. plans to move its European headquarters to London, from its current base in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The move will both concentrate some executives in the U.K., including some transferred from the Amsterdam office, and also increase the tax Starbucks pays in the U.K.



Starbucks paid an estimated $16.8 million in U.K. taxes during 2013 and has said it expects to pay the same amount in 2014. The company has received criticism in the U.K. for allegedly using complex accounting procedures to minimize the tax it pays there.



The U.K. is Starbucks’ fastest-growing market in Europe, and managing operations there more closely is one reason the company plans to move its headquarters. Starbucks expects to open more than 100 new stores in the U.K. during 2014, and moving its headquarters should create 1,000 new jobs in addition to the 7,500 U.K. workers Starbucks currently employs.