WASHINGTON, United States — Howard Schultz, who built a small Seattle coffee chain into the global powerhouse Starbucks, announced Monday he was retiring from the company, fueling speculation he may seek the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020. Schultz, 64, has been serving as executive chairman of Starbucks since stepping down as chief executive in April of last year and handing over to Kevin Johnson. Schultz will leave the company at the end of the month and take on the honorary title of chairman emeritus, Starbucks said in a statement. “I want to be of service to our country, but that doesn’t mean I need to run for public office to accomplish that,” Schultz told the Times. Schultz joined Starbucks in 1982 as director of operations and marketing and helped transform the Seattle-based company into a global behemoth with more than 28,000 outlets in 77 countries.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer June 04, 2018 22:07 UTC