The reign of Starbucks continues.
As other global chains like McDonald's, Subway, and KFC struggle to regain stability, Starbucks ended its fiscal 2015 year in September with global comparable-store sales growth of 7%. This was the sixth consecutive year of comparable sales growth for Starbucks globally.
The Seattle-based chain's business remained robust in the U.S. too, where it grew sales at cafes open 13 months or longer by 9% last quarter.
Starbucks — ranked the most popular restaurant among teens in a recent Piper Jaffray survey — has been growing sales through successful new food and drink offerings and its very successful loyalty program.
The company also recently rolled out mobile ordering and has increased worker pay and benefits in the U.S. "Our comp results are strongest where we are having our greatest success in reducing turnover," Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz told investors. "There is no doubt that our partner investments link directly back to our ability to post record profits."
Improvements in pay and benefits are also planned for the company's international restaurants, it said.
The current growth spree looks like it will continue through next year: Starbucks predicted global comparable store sales growth "somewhat above mid-single digit" percentages in fiscal 2016, and plans to open another 1,800 new stores, of which about 700 will be in the Americas region.
Already, Starbucks has 23,043 stores in 68 countries. Schultz is relying on the "universal appeal of the Starbucks experience" to make the chain even more ubiquitous.