Starbucks aligns top management for growth abroad

SEATTLE — Starbucks is realigning its top management to help drive its international growth.

The Seattle-based coffee giant said Monday that it is dividing responsibilities for its business into three global regions instead of the current two, U.S. and international.

The company has appointed three of its executives to lead the three regions, which are Asia, the Americas and the combination of Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz says the company's financial performance has never been better and this move helps maximize its opportunities in key growing markets such as China, Brazil and India.

Starbucks has nearly 11,000 stores in North America and almost 6,000 in the rest of the world.