DFI: Confident of raising Starbucks operating gross margin

DFI chief executive Brian Lee said he was confident of raising Starbucks' operating gross margin by a further 1 to 2 percentage points, to 8% to 9%. DFI also sold its 50% stake in Maxim's Caterers, raising US$340 million (about HK$2.652 billion), and took over Starbucks' operations in 7 Asian markets. Starbucks will operate in the form of community stores, complemented by cross-brand collaborations and customer loyalty programmes, to compete with low-priced coffee shops.