(Yicai Global) Feb. 17 -- Starbucks has raised the price of some products in China, the US coffee chain’s second-largest market, for the first time since November 2018.

Starbucks increased the price of some drinks, including Americano, and snacks by CNY1 to CNY2 (16 US cents to 32 US cents) due to a number of factors including higher operating costs, the company told Yicai Global. The price of other items such as coffee beans, mugs, and merchandise remains the same, it added.

The increases were expected, as Starbucks is experiencing higher input costs for raw materials, logistics, and labor, food industry analyst Zhu Danpeng told Yicai Global.

Revenue in China fell 2 percent to USD897.2 million in the fiscal first quarter ended Jan. 2 from a year earlier, according to the earnings report Starbucks released earlier this month. Same-store sales dropped 14 percent, with a 9 percent drop in average ticket and a 6 percent fall in transactions.

With a large number of stores across China, Starbucks could leverage its brand recognition and scale to boost profitability and support its share price after raising product prices, Zhu said.

The Seattle-based firm had more than 5,550 stores in China at the end of the fiscal first quarter.

In the United States, Starbucks has raised prices twice since October and it plans to further increase them this year, Chief Executive Officer Kevin Johnson said last week. The hikes played an important role in easing cost pressures and helped lift sales revenue, he noted.

Editors: Dou Shicong, Futura Costaglione