Starbucks Corp.'s profits increased 29 percent in the three months leading up to Oct. 2, the company said today. Sales beat analysts' expectations in the quarter, rising 10 percent at US stores open at least 13 months and increasing 6 percent abroad, Bloomberg Businessweek reported. Sales for the quarter reached a record $3 billion, the Financial Times reported. The company said new coffee shops in China and the US offset weaker sales in Europe, the Financial Times reported. According to the Financial Times: Starbucks' profits were boosted by the one-off effects of real estate transactions and the purchase of joint venture operations, but its results underlined its status as one of the consumer companies not suffering from the economic gloom afflicting so many Americans. "What we're offering at the premium level is really resonating well with customers, despite what's still a tough environment," Chief Financial Officer Troy Alstead told Bloomberg Businessweek.