SEOUL – The South Korean unit of Starbucks Corp. is scrambling to curb the spread of coronavirus, reducing seating in its cafes and delaying a promotional campaign after 50 cases were linked to one of its stores outside Seoul.
Starbucks’ Korean business was a bright spot for the U.S. coffee chain, with the joint venture placing a profit boost in April-June as the country rapidly brought the COVID-19 outbreak under control.
But South Korea is fighting a resurgence in virus outbreaks in and around Seoul, with the largest outbreak linked to a church and smaller outbreaks linked to cafes, restaurants and other places.
South Korean health authorities are investigating how the virus spread at a Starbucks outlet in the border town of Paju, and have said that infected people do not wear masks and fresh air may not be well circulated.
“What happened at the Starbucks store in Paju was much anticipated,” said Yang Sae-rom, a 30-year-old office worker outside a busy Starbucks in Seoul. “They would advise customers to wear masks and draw in fresh air.”
Starbucks Korea, a joint venture between Starbucks and Korean retail giant E-Mart Inc., said seating capacity had fallen by more than 30% in all its stores in Seoul and nearby areas after authorities reopened tougher social distances on Sunday.
The coffee chain said it would also improve hygiene rules in all stores, recommend customers wear face masks and had launched a promotional campaign offering play figures.
“I think the place is exposed to risks because there are a lot of people there,” said Seo Chan-young, a 24-year-old college student, when people stormed a Starbucks store in the afternoon.
Starbucks has more than 1,400 stores in South Korea, nearly as many as in Japan, which has more than twice the population, according to its website.
($ 1 = 1,184,6100 won)
(Report by Hyunjoo Jin and Heekyong Yang; Additional Reporting by Sangmi Cha, Dogyun Kim, Daewoung Kim; Edited by Lincoln Feast)
