NEW YORK (Standard&Poor's) Sept. 24, 2014—Standard&Poor's Ratings Services today said Starbucks Corp. recently announced that it plans to acquire the remaining 60.5% share of Starbucks Coffee Japan Ltd. (Starbucks Japan), a joint venture between Starbucks and Sazaby League that operates more than 1,000 Starbucks retail locations in Japan. Starbucks currently owns 39.5% of the outstanding shares of Starbucks Japan. The transaction is structured as a two-step tender offer valued at approximately $914 million. The company expects the first step of the transaction will be completed by end of its first quarter of fiscal 2015, at which point Starbucks will have a controlling interest and will consolidate Starbucks Japan into the company's operating results. Following successful completion
