Starbucks informed employees on Sept. 25 that it would be closing hundreds of stores in North America and laying off about 900 employees, but which stores will be affected?
Brian Niccol, the CEO of the Seattle-based coffee chain, told employees that 1% of locations in the United States and Canada would be closing shop, USA Today previously reported. Niccol previously worked as the CEO of Chipotle and went viral for his response to customer complaints of portion sizes. He has been the Starbucks’ CEO since 2024.
The move is part of the company’s “Back to Starbucks” plan, which aims to put more focus on customer experience.
The company had 18,734 stores as of June 29 and will have 18,300 locations by the end of the fiscal year, meaning about 430 locations will shutter.
The 900 non-retail employees will have been told whether they will be laid off the morning of Sept. 26, USA Today reported.
“We will offer generous severance and support packages, including benefits extensions,” Niccol told employees in a memo. He also urged employees whose jobs did not require them to be on-site to work from home.
The company also said it would inform employees of the shuttered stores who will be offered transfers to other locations, and who will be let go.
How many stores will Starbucks close in California?
ScrapeHero, a data company, says there are over 3,100 stores in California as of the end of July. The stores account for about 19% of the locations in the U.S.
Starbucks announced in August that they were closing its pick-up only locations, including 20 in the Golden State.
The coffee chain had not revealed which stores would close their doors, but ABC News reported that at least 155 stores are closing, including the pick-up locations. Los Angeles and the surrounding metro area had the most store closures in the state.
Starbucks stores ABC News reported will close in California:
The San Francisco Chronicle also reported that the company is shuttering several outlets in the Bay Area, including several locations in San Francisco.
Ernesto Centeno Araujo covers breaking news for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached at ecentenoaraujo@vcstar.com, 805-437-0224 or @ecentenoaraujo on Instagram and X.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Starbucks to close hundreds of stores. Which California stores on list?
Reporting by Ernesto Centeno Araujo, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
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