​STARBUCKS AND TENCENT ANNOUNCE STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP TO LAUNCH SOCIAL GIFTING ON WECHAT IN CHINA

Companies to co-create a social gifting feature early next year aimed at fostering human connections through the instant delivery of gratitude and love with Starbucks gifts Partnership extends WeChat Pay across Starbucks stores in Mainland China beginning December 8 SEATTLE & SHENZHEN, China, Dec 8 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Starbucks Coffee Company (NASDAQ: SBUX) and Tencent Holdings Limited (SEHK: 00700), a leading provider of internet value-added services in China, today pioneered a strategic partnership to co-create a new social gifting feature on WeChat, China’s leading mobile social communications service, in early 2017. This partnership positions Starbucks as the first retail brand to combine and bring a locally-relevant social gifting and digital payment experience to life on WeChat in China. Tapping into the 846 million global monthly active user accounts (as of the third quarter of 2016), the new integrated feature will seamlessly allow customers in China to instantly and conveniently gift Starbucks to a friend or loved one. Beginning today, Starbucks customers will also be able to use WeChat Pay to make purchases at close to 2,500 Starbucks stores across Mainland China.

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