Investing.com -- Starbucks Corp. has the potential to double its international store count, Chief Executive Officer Brian Niccol said Tuesday.

The coffee chain operates 22,000 stores outside the United States, and there is no reason that number cannot double, Niccol said during a presentation at the Evercore Consumer and Retail Conference.

The CEO also said the company can add at least 5,000 more stores in the US. He pointed to opportunities in the region between Texas and Virginia, as well as the center of the country.

"We just have had a West Coast, East Coast bias and didn't develop enough in the middle of the country," Niccol said.

Starbucks operates more than 41,000 stores in 89 markets around the world, including locations operated with partners. Close to 23,000 of these are outside the US and Canada.