Starbucks Records First US Sales Growth in Two Years
Starbucks reported its first quarterly same-store sales growth in the United States in nearly two years on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, signaling that CEO Brian Niccol’s “Back to Starbucks” turnaround strategy is gaining significant traction.
The coffee giant announced that US and North America comparable store sales rose 4% in fiscal Q1 (ended December 28, 2025), driven by a 3% increase in customer transactions and a 1% increase in average ticket. This marks the first positive growth since the first quarter of fiscal 2024, exceeding Wall Street’s expectations of only 2% growth.
Since taking the helm in September 2024, CEO Brian Niccol has implemented sweeping changes including:
- Reducing the menu by 25-30%
- Improving service times to under four minutes at over 80% of locations
- Enhancing the in-store coffeehouse experience
The company also achieved record Starbucks Rewards membership of 35.5 million members, with both rewards and non-rewards customers showing increased transaction volumes for the first time since 2022.
Revenue for the quarter totaled $9.92 billion, up 5.5% year-over-year and beating consensus estimates of $9.67 billion. Starbucks stock rose more than 5% following the results announcement. The company provided optimistic full-year guidance, expecting same-store sales growth of 3% or better, led by similar growth in US markets.
Source: Fox Business