Starbucks loses market share as rivals roll out drink deals

Chicago

STARBUCKS Corp, facing heavy competition, mobile-ordering hiccups and even boycott threats, has been losing US customers to rivals this winter.

In February, the company ceded market share to other chains, according to data from xAd Inc, a research firm that uses location signals from mobile phones to measure customer traffic.

Starbucks' share declined to 11 per cent among the US restaurants tracked by xAd, down from 12 per cent in January.

Competitors have been offering aggressive drink deals, putting pressure on the whole industry. And Starbucks acknowledged in January that its shift to mobile or…