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Pumpkin Spice is Back, Earlier Than Ever

Starbucks looks to boost sagging sales

By Rob Smith August 21, 2024

Starbucks-PumpkinSpiceLatte_1600x900
Photo by Julia Stotz, courtesy of Starbucks

Summer doesn’t end for a month, but Starbucks is launching its fall menu and highly anticipated Pumpkin Spice Latte earlier than ever.

Starting Aug. 22, the company will unveil the popular drink as well as other seasonal menu items. It’s the earliest the coffee giant has launched its fall menu. 

The company says roughly 10% of its sales come from its seasonal menus.

Starbucks is clearly anticipating a much-needed boost in sales from the early launch. The company reported a 3% drop in overall sales and a 6% drop in foot traffic in its recent quarterly earnings report. It recently ousted former CEO Laxman Narasimhan and replaced him with Chipotle CEO Brian Niccol.

Starbucks says it has sold “hundreds of millions” of Pumpkin Spice Lattes since the drink made its debut 21 years ago.

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