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 The world's largest coffee chain said the relocation was primarily
to get closer to Britain, its biggest and fastest-growing market in
Europe, the British daily reported, quoting Starbucks' president of
Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Kris Engskov.
Starbucks was not immediately available for comment.
Senior executives will transfer to Starbucks' head office in
Chiswick, west London, although manufacturing jobs will remain in
Holland, The Times said.
Starbucks said it would pay more tax in Britain following the
relocation, which it expects to come into effect before the end of
the year, although globally its bill would remain "relatively
neutral," the paper said.
A panel of UK lawmakers last year had called on the government to
conduct a review of Britain's corporate income tax regime to tackle
what it said was a "serious problem of avoidance.
Starbucks had said in June it would pay or pre-pay around 10 million
pounds ($16.73 million) a year in taxes in 2013 and 2014, after it
was revealed by Reuters that the company paid no tax for the year to
September 30, 2012.
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The Seattle, Washington-based group, which is struggling with higher
costs for milk and coffee, the two ingredients in its popular
lattes, has said that higher costs do not mean customers would have
to pay more.
"I want to resist raising prices in this environment," Howard
Schultz, Starbucks' chairman and chief executive officer, had said
in March, referring to still cautious spending by many consumers.
(Reporting by Sampad Patnaik in Bangalore;
editing by Lisa Shumaker)
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