Starbucks made Uruguay its 77th market, handing Alsea exclusive rights to run it

Specialty coffee retail; Alsea is Latin America's and Spain's leading multi-brand restaurant operator (Domino's, Burger King, Chili's and more).

Uruguay's small market can carry Starbucks economics if one proven regional operator owns it exclusively and starts from a single flagship mall store.

About US$10 million total investment estimated for the Uruguay operation.

Starbucks entered Latin America in 2002 through Alsea, which grew the brand market by market; each country's stores are exclusively owned and operated by the licensee rather than by Starbucks directly.

Baristas trained for months with Starbucks coffee masters and experienced partners before opening. Alsea set the targets: at least 5 stores by end-2018, 10 stores by 2020, and more than 130 direct jobs.

A textbook licensed-operator market entry: the brand adds a country with one decision and near-zero direct capex.

For Alsea, exclusivity in a new country extends franchise economics it already runs next door.

A single-flagship launch — one mall store, months of barista training — is a repeatable playbook rather than a bespoke country strategy.

Explicit, dated targets (5 stores by end-2018, 10 by 2020, 130+ jobs) make the bet checkable.

Market entry by license is a single decision, not a country plan: hand the whole market to an operator that already runs your brand next door, and its local P&L carries the capex and the proof.

As of the opening week the first store was trading with long daily queues. Alsea targeted at least 5 stores by end-2018 and 10 by 2020 on the estimated ~$10M investment; Starbucks operations in other markets were unaffected.