A Starbucks location.

By Chris Spiker From Daily Voice

The long-awaited turnaround for Starbucks is showing results.

Starbucks reported its first increase in sales in nearly two years, bucking a trend of six straight quarters of declines. The Seattle-based coffee giant said global same-store sales rose 1% in a quarterly earnings report on Wednesday, Oct. 29.

The improvement comes as the company pushes its "Back to Starbucks" plan throughout 2025 to improve operations and customer experiences in cafés.

"It's clear that our turnaround is taking hold," said CEO Brian Niccol. "Our return to global comp growth and the momentum we're building give me confidence we're on the right path to deliver the very best of Starbucks for our customers, partners, and shareholders."

US same-store sales were flat, but Starbucks was boosted by a 1% increase internationally. Starbucks' sales were ahead of Wall Street expectations, which projected a 0.9% decrease in the US and a 0.3% drop for international markets, CNBC reported.

Revenue rose 5% to $9.6 billion for the company's fourth quarter, which ended on Saturday, Sept. 28. The results mark a sharp contrast to earlier quarters, when declining transactions weighed heavily on the chain's performance.

The update follows major restructuring moves unveiled in September, when Starbucks announced it would close more than 100 cafés and eliminate about 900 corporate jobs across North America. The company said it aimed to consolidate underperforming stores, modernize operations, and invest in "green apron partner hours" by increasing staffing at busy times to improve service.

Starbucks ended Q4 with 40,990 stores worldwide, including 16,864 in the U.S. and 8,011 in China. The company closed 627 locations, over 90% of which were in North America.

Barista training materials were recently rewritten to emphasize eye contact, warmer greetings, and a service approach known as L.A.T.T.E., short for "Listen, Apologize, Take action, Thank, and Ensure satisfaction." Starbucks is also upgrading café layouts, adding seating, and introducing faster equipment designed to improve consistency and speed during busy hours.

Chief financial officer Cathy Smith called Q4 a "milestone" for the company.

"We know this continues to be a multi-year turnaround," said Smith. "We remain focused on driving our topline while managing the costs that are within our control to deliver durable, sustainable growth and long-term shareholder value."

Starbucks hopes to continue its momentum with its holiday menu and Red Cup Day, which both return in November.