It was a happy holiday at Starbucks, but the company's sales momentum could start to slow due to the coronavirus outbreak in China.
New drinks like the Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew were a hit with customers, helping the Seattle-based coffee giant beat Wall Street's forecasts in the October-December period. Starbucks reaffirmed its 2020 profit guidance for now, but said it has already closed more than half of its stores in China.
Starbucks reported Tuesday that its earnings rose 16% to $886 million in its fiscal first quarter. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring items like restructuring charges, were 79 cents per share. That beat Wall Street's forecast of 76 cents.
Starbucks said same-store sales — or sales at stores open at least 13 months — jumped 5% worldwide in the October-December period, ahead of analysts' forecast of 4.4%. Revenue was up 7% to $7.1 billion, in line with analysts' forecasts.
Starbucks said 1.4 million U.S. customers joined its Starbucks Rewards loyalty program during the quarter. The company said demand for mobile ordering and payment is growing in the U.S.
Breakfast is getting a bit more affordable as the average price per dozen eggs has been slashed by more than 50 percent since its peak of $5.43 on Dec. 19.
The fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic has been so wide-reaching that 50 percent of Americans say they are worse off than a year ago, the most since the Great Recession of 2008 and 2009.
Benoit Garbe, chief marketing officer at Anheuser-Busch, joined Cheddar News to discuss Super Bowl ads and what lies ahead after the company ended an exclusive deal with the big game last year.
David Peters, financial advisor and CPA, joined Cheddar News to discuss how families can save money from the Inflation Reduction Act when filing taxes this season.
Cheddar News' Shannon LaNier spoke with owner Kiahna Malloy of Kreme & Krumbs, a Black-owned ice cream shop in Montclair, New Jersey, about why she got into the business.
