Canadians ordering a soy latte or an oat macchiato at Starbucks will soon pay slightly less for their non-dairy drinks.
The Seattle-based coffee chain announced this week that starting Nov. 7, customers in Canada and the United States will no longer be charged extra for customizing their beverages with plant-based milks such as soy, almond, oat or coconut.
“Substituting non-dairy milk in a handcrafted beverage is the second most requested customization from our customers, behind adding a shot of espresso,” Starbucks said in a statement Wednesday.
“When this change goes into effect on November 7, almost half of our customers in the U.S. who pay to modify their beverage at company-operated stores will see a price reduction of more than 10%.”
The drop in non-dairy charge comes as the company continues to struggle with falling demand for its pricey beverages in the key U.S. and China markets as well as amid a slide in its share price.
Starbucks posted a seven per cent drop in global comparable sales for the fourth quarter on Wednesday.
Preliminary results for the quarter also showed a three per cent decline in consolidated net revenues.
Starbucks said “the lower-than-expected performance” this year was due to traffic decline, cautious consumer behaviour and competition from China.
Last month, Starbucks got a new chief executive officer: Brian Niccol, who was previously the chairman and CEO of Chipotle.
On Nov. 7, Starbucks will also be launching its holiday season menu.
— with files from Reuters