China News Agency, San Francisco, March 16. Starbucks, headquartered in Seattle, USA, announced on the 16th local time that the current president and CEO of the company, Kevin Johnson, will retire.

Starbucks founder and former CEO Howard Schultz will serve as the company's interim CEO on April 4.

The file photo shows Kevin Johnson (left) and Howard Schultz in Seattle on December 1, 2016.

China News Agency issued a picture for Starbucks

  Starbucks said in a statement released on the 16th that Johnson will continue to serve as a special adviser to Starbucks employees and the company and the board of directors from April 4 until September.

Johnson said he told the board a year ago that he would consider retiring from Starbucks.

He said it was "a natural end to 13 years at the company".

  Kevin Johnson, 61, joined Starbucks' board in 2009, the statement said.

In 2017, he succeeded Schultz as the company's CEO.

The Seattle Times reported that before joining Starbucks, Johnson worked at IBM and Microsoft, and served as CEO of Juniper Networks.

  To ensure "seamless management" of the company, the company's board of directors has appointed Howard Schultz as interim CEO, the statement said.

The appointment is effective April 4 until the company elects a formal successor this fall.

During his tenure as interim CEO, Schultz was paid $1.

Schultz will also rejoin the company's board of directors.

  The US Consumer News and Business Channel reported on the 16th that Schultz, 68, said in a statement that he had no previous plans to return to the company.

Schultz served as the company's CEO from 1986 to 2000, and again from 2008 to 2017.

(over)