Starbucks Americas sales disappoint on softer traffic

[SEATTLE] Starbucks Corp's early re-launch of its popular Pumpkin Spice latte drink failed to heat up business at its US cafes, disappointing Wall Street and sending the company's shares down almost 5 per cent.

The world's biggest coffee chain said a 1 per cent increase in traffic contributed to a 5 per cent gain in sales for Americas-region cafes open at least 13 months.

But that result fell short of the 6.2 per cent same-store sales gain expected by analysts polled by Consensus Metrix.