Starbucks opens first animal-friendly outlet in South Korea amid increase in pet-owning population
- The two-storey outlet opened in the city of Guri on Friday, with a cafe on the first floor and a pet one on the second floor
- Pet-owning households made up more than 25 per cent of the country’s homes in 2022, with the market expected to have grown to HK$19.3 billion in 2023
Starbucks has opened its first pet-friendly store in South Korea to attract the growing number of pet owners in the country, according to the global coffee chain on Friday.
The two-storey, 645-square-metre Guri Galmae DT store opened in the city of Guri, in Gyeonggi Province, on Friday. The cafe makes coffees and beverages on the first floor and offers a separate 166-square-metre space on the second floor as a pet zone.
The zone has chairs for pets, a reserved section where patrons can keep their leashes and a lounge where patrons can walk their pets on leash. Another section with a specially designed set offers a photo zone where pets and their owners can take pictures.
Pets are banned from the first floor to keep the baristas’ workstation clean. They can use a separate entrance that leads to the second floor.
Certain canine species that are categorised under dangerous breeds by the country’s Animal Protection Act, including mastiffs, pit bull terriers and rottweilers, are banned from the store. So are pets that are not immunised.
“I have been here since this morning and we’ve seen visitors keep coming,” an official from the company said on Friday afternoon. “There are still patrons waiting outside to enter.”
Starbucks Korea CEO Sohn Jeong-hyun said he launched the store after coming across consistent demands from consumers to introduce a Starbucks store where they can bring their pets.
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