Starbucks (United States)
Starbucks is an American global coffee company based in the United States. This coffee house offers a large variety of beverages including coffee, teas as well as many different pastries and snacks. Since its inception in 1971, the company has expanded quickly to establish more than 23,000 stores in over 60 countries.
Today, Starbucks is considered the largest coffeehouse company in the world with very few competitors.
Costa Coffee
Costa Coffee is a British multination coffee company located in Dunstable, United Kingdom and the most significant competitor to Starbucks being the second largest coffeehouse chain in the world.
Since being founded in 1971 in London, Costa Coffee has grown to produce over 1,700 establishments in about 35 countries. Additionally, the company has over 1,300 restaurants positioned in the UK and 2,500 Costa Express vending machines.
Tim Hortons
Internationally known as Tim Horton’s Cafe and Bake Shop, Tim Horton’s is a Canadian fast casual restaurant (a restaurant that does not offer full table service, but guarantees better food atmosphere than fast food restaurants). While primarily a food establishment, Tim Hortons is best known for its coffee and donuts and Canada’s largest fast food service.
Founded in 1964, Tim Hortons has since matured to include more than 3,500 restaurants in Canada, over 800 in the United States, and around 38 in the Persian Gulf Region.
Sources: http://www.starbucks.com/about-us/company-information | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Costa_Coffee | http://www.timhortons.com/us/en/about/