Starbucks to shut 250 stores, staff laid off
Starbucks, the world’s largest coffeehouse chain, is shrinking as the company announces plans to close 250 US locations, including a reported 17 stores in New York State with eight in New York City.
Starbucks operates more than 85 stores across Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia. Speculation is growing on whether the same fate will face the Australian stores following the mass shutdowns in the US.
“We have carefully reviewed our North America coffeehouse portfolio and identified locations where we do not believe we can consistently deliver the experience we want for customers and partners or where we don’t see a path to acceptable financial performance,” Chief Operating Officer Mike Grams said in a statement.
“Closing any coffeehouse is a difficult decision,” continued the exec. “We know today’s news will be hard for the partners, customers and communities affected.”
And Gothamites are particularly at risk for a caffeine crash.
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Starbucks locations in New York are reportedly on the chopping block. Picture: LightRocket via Getty Images
Nearly 10 per cent of Starbucks closures will happen in the Empire State, according to public reports.
That comes on the heels of a mass lay-off last year, when the Frappuccino moguls axed 900 corporate staffers. In May, Starbucks laid off an additional 300 non-retail employees and shuttered several offices.
Now Starbucks is in the midst of a $US1 billion ($A1.4 billion) restructuring effort aimed at creating smaller, cushier atmospheres for Starbucks buffs craving “third space” cosiness as much as they crave a gingerbread latte.
Starbucks locations in Manhattan are said to be shuttering in the coming months, according to reports. Picture: Bloomberg via Getty Images
The java joint’s new cafe prototype debuted in San Antonio last month. It offers plusher seating and an upgraded espresso bar, per CNN.
“These particular new formats are really stretching us to be more adaptable to different types of location, different shapes and different sizes, but they still hold all of the aspects of the (coffee house) experience,” Dawn Clark, senior vice president of global concepts and design at Starbucks, told the outlet.
So far, roughly 1,000 existing locations have been redesigned in North America, with Starbucks planning to accelerate the facelifts through 2027.
But when it comes to the upcoming store closures in and around Manhattan, social media isn’t shedding many tears.
Store closures are now standard in NYC and beyond. Picture: Getty Images
“Starbucks service and quality have gone downhill, but yet they continue to raise prices. No thanks,” another tweeted.
“I love how it spent the last 10 yrs opening a store every 4 blocks, all new construction BTW, then a remodel 5 yrs later, and now will spend the next 3 yrs closing them,” quipped a seemingly unsympathetic X user.
“Adios to yet another generic crap coffee chain,” spat a separate digital detractor.
Here is a list of the New York stores slated for closure, according to reports:
Amherst: 1703 Niagara Falls Blvd., Amherst
Blasdell: 3540 McKinley Pkwy., Blasdell
Brighton: 1914 Monroe Ave., Brighton
Brooklyn: 476 4th Ave., Brooklyn
Commack: 125 Crooked Hill Rd., Commack
Fairport: 64 S. Main St., Fairport
Greenvale: 114 Northern Blvd., Greenvale
Islip: 455 Main St., Islip
New Rochelle: 726 North Ave., New Rochelle
New York: 11 Penn Plaza, W. 32nd St. (between Sixth & Seventh), Manhattan
New York: 15 Carlisle St., Manhattan
New York: 50 Lexington Ave., Manhattan
New York: 99 Wall St., Manhattan
New York: 100 William St., Manhattan
New York: 125 Chambers St., Manhattan
New York: 125 St. Marks Place, Manhattan
Yonkers: 2458 Central Park Ave., Yonkers
Parts of this story first appeared in the New York Post and were republished with permission.
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