Image copyright AP Image caption Starbucks has an estimated 11,000 locations in the US

Coffee retailer Starbucks has announced plans to turn more of its cafes into beer and wine purveyors in the evenings.

Thousands of stores are expected to adopt alcohol sales over the next several years, the company said.

Starbucks first offered alcohol after 16:00 at one Seattle location in 2010.

The endeavour, branded Starbucks Evenings, proved successful and was later rolled out to 26 locations.

Forty stores are expected to offer beer and wine by the end of 2014, while also serving a variety of small dishes including flatbreads and bacon-wrapped dates.

The effort is said to be part of the company's push to boost sales throughout the day after the morning rush hour.

Starbucks - which counts about 11,000 stores in the US - has also recently introduced new salads and sandwiches to its menus to boost afternoon sales.