LONDON (Reuters) - Starbucks , the world's biggest coffee chain, is serving more Britons despite a recession which has seen consumers cut back on discretionary spending, the head of its UK and Irish business told Reuters.

"I think where we are now is that we're certainly serving more visitors than we were last year on a like-for-like basis," Darcy Willson-Rymer said in an interview.

Starbucks founder and chairman Howard Schultz drew a furious response from British business minister Peter Mandelson in February when he said the UK economy was in a spiral and the global group's biggest area of concern.

Willson-Rymer said the situation had improved since then.

"There's a couple of areas that have suffered more than others, for example the City of London or airports in particular ... but overall the business is performing well, given the circumstances."

Starbucks, which serves around two million Britons a week, started using Fairtrade coffee in all espresso-based drinks at its 700-plus UK and Irish outlets yesterday, in line with an announcement made earlier this year.