STARBUCKS Corp, the world's largest cafe chain, plans to open at least 80 outlets in China this year as consumers in the most populous country boost spending.

The chain has more than 300 stores in China and plans to hire "thousands" of workers in the next two years to support expansion plans, Wang Jinlong, the firm's president for China operations, said in a Bloomberg TV interview yesterday. The firm has 4,000 employees in China, he said.