Copyright Reuters
The company's shares were up about 3% in extended trading. They have fallen about 7% so far this year. Sign up here. Comparable sales rose after about a year and a half of declines, as Niccol pushed ahead with his plan to shut underperforming stores, cut operational costs and improve staffing in key locations to speed up service at its coffee shops. In China, Starbucks' second-largest market outside of the United States, the company reported a 2% rise in comparable sales, after a return to growth in the metric last quarter. Starbucks has lowered prices for non-coffee products in China, and has been trying to offer more customization and local flavors. The company is nearing selling a majority stake in its China business as its market share has declined in recent years due to fierce competition from local coffee chains that offer cheaper products amid an economic slowdown that has changed consumer habits. Global comparable sales rose 1%, compared with analysts' average estimate of a 0.14% rise, according to data compiled by LSEG. Comparable sales in the U.S. were flat in the fourth quarter. Reporting by Juveria Tabassum in Bengaluru and Waylon Cunningham in New York; Editing by Anil D'Silva
