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Starbucks' Howard Schultz has a message for Donald Trump

Starbucks' Howard Schultz has a message he wants Donald Trump to hear
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Starbucks' Howard Schultz has a message he wants Donald Trump to hear

Less than a week after Howard Schultz announced he would step down from his role as CEO of Starbucks, he told Jim Cramer that he has a message for President-elect Donald Trump.

"I think in the world that we are living in today, there is a greater responsibility on companies to ensure the fact that we balance profit with social impact. And that is the kind of message I would share with the President-elect and I hope that he would share that," Schultz said to the "Mad Money" host.

Starbucks held its twice-annual investor conference on Wednesday, unveiling plans to add 12,000 new stores globally in the next 5 years—on top of the 25,000 stores that exist already. It also aims for 10 percent annual revenue growth, and mid-single digit same store sales growth with earnings expanding by 15 to 25 percent per year.





Howard Schultz, Starbucks
Michael Nagle | Bloomberg | Getty Images

"We are very intentional. We know what we are doing and we've got a clear plan to go do it," Johnson told Cramer about the company's five-year plan.

While Schultz will be stepping down as CEO in April and passing the reigns to longtime COO Kevin Johnson, he will still stay on as executive chairman.

"The most important currency in leadership is trust. Kevin has the trust of our partners and our people. He has the trust of the street as you saw today, and this is going to be a very smooth and natural transition," Schultz said.

One area of global interest for Starbucks is China, having operated there for 17 years and has 30,000 employees in the country. Starbucks opens a new store in China approximately every 15 hours.

With China as a source of contention with the President-elect surrounding trade and overseas employment, Johnson said he expects to continue the close relationship with partners and customers in China.

"I can't predict the political environment, but I do know that we have been in China for 17 years. We've done it in a way that is showing great respect to the culture and the people in China," Johnson said.

Correction: This story has been updated to reflect that Starbucks opens a new store in China every 15 hours.


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