11.03.2006 - 04:38pm ET

(CSRwire) SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 3, 2006--Starbucks Corporation (Nasdaq: SBUX) announced today that four retired (no longer in regular use) laptops have been identified as missing from the Starbucks Corporate Support Center in Seattle. Two of the laptops contained the private information, including names and social security numbers, of nearly 60,000 United States partners (employees) and less than 80 Canadian partners and contractors at all levels employed across the organization prior to Dec. 31, 2003.

At this time, there is no indication that the private information in question has been misused or that the devices are in the hands of someone intending to misuse the information. These laptops may still be in the possession of Starbucks, however we cannot currently locate them. In accordance with Starbucks standards for information security, the laptops were password protected.

"We take our commitment to safeguarding the personal information and security of our partners very seriously, and we regret the inconvenience that this incident may cause," said Valerie O'Neil, director of corporate communications. "We are currently reinforcing our corporate policies and updating procedures related to the protection of personal data in an effort to ensure that this type of incident does not occur in the future."

Efforts are currently underway to notify partners whose information was believed to be on the missing laptops, and credit-protection services are being offered by the company at no cost to those potentially affected persons.

Partners with questions or concerns related to the incident or to the credit-protection services being offered are encouraged to contact the Starbucks Information Security Helpline at 1-800-453-1048 between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. PST or to visit www.starbuckspartnerinformation.com .



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