Starbucks Announces North American Store Closures

Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol announced a national "Back to Starbucks" restructuring that will close hundreds of underperforming North American stores (about 1% of locations), cut roughly 900 non‑retail roles, and allocate about $1 billion for severance, lease exits and store investments to address declining same‑store sales. The plan includes closing at least 100 North American cafés, remodeling more than 1,000 locations, shifting away from mobile‑only pickup formats, and refocusing resources to restore the traditional in‑store "third place" experience. Store closure notices have been posted across the U.S., with reported shutdowns this week in Buffalo Grove (IL), Lancaster (PA), Fort Collins (CO), Salinas (CA), Cincinnati (OH), Omaha (NE), Hilton Head and Greenville (SC), and multiple Bay Area locations, often with final days around Sept. 27. Starbucks says affected partners will be offered transfers and severance/benefits where possible, but union groups and workers criticized the closures for being announced without employee input, especially at unionized cafés. Local reactions are mixed, with some community members lamenting a loss of a social gathering place while nearby independent cafés hope to gain customers as Starbucks locations close.