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Starbucks plans to close about 250 coffeehouses in North America while continuing a redesign program that has reached more than 1,000 locations. The company has not published a complete closure list or regional breakdown; it says affected employees may transfer to nearby stores or receive severance support.
Starbucks plans to close about 250 coffeehouses across North America, the company’s second major round of store closures under CEO Brian Niccol. The move will shrink its company-operated footprint as Starbucks continues a redesign program that it says has reached more than 1,000 U.S. and Canadian locations.
The closures amount to about 2.2% of Starbucks’ 11,149 company-operated North American locations, according to Daily Coffee News. Starbucks has not released a complete list of affected stores or a regional breakdown. Sfgate identified 64 California locations it considered likely to close, based on its own store list and checks through the Starbucks app; that count is an independently compiled finding, not a company-published total.
Starbucks said employees at closing stores will be offered transfers to nearby locations where possible. Workers who cannot be placed elsewhere may receive severance support, the company said. The available source material does not give the number of employees affected, how many transfers are expected, or the terms of any severance packages.
The closures accompany a broad refurbishment effort. A day before the closure announcement, Starbucks said it had completed redesigns, which it calls “uplifts,” at more than 1,000 locations in the United States and Canada since late 2025. It aims to reach at least 1,500 by the end of fiscal 2026. The rollout includes cities such as Atlanta, Austin, Dallas, Houston, Miami, Nashville, Orlando, Seattle and Washington, D.C., as well as Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary.
A Smaller Footprint, Refreshed Stores
The plan signals that Starbucks is combining store closures with investment in retained locations as it works to reshape its North American business. For customers, closures may mean fewer nearby company-operated cafes in some communities, while redesigns could change the experience at stores that remain. The company has not said how it selected locations for closure or whether the redesigns are expected to improve sales or customer traffic.
For employees, the immediate issue is whether a nearby transfer is available. Starbucks’ stated offer depends on placement being possible, and the report provides no estimate of how many workers will move to other stores or leave the company. Local effects will vary according to which sites close and what other Starbucks locations are nearby.
The changes also take place amid stronger competition in U.S. coffee retail. The source report describes expansion by Chinese chains Luckin Coffee and Cotti Coffee, as well as drive-through-focused competitors including Dutch Bros, 7 Brew, Scooter’s Coffee and Biggby Coffee. Those chains’ growth provides market context, but the source does not establish that competition caused any particular closure.
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Niccol’s Store Portfolio Reset
The current closures form part of Starbucks’ “Back to Starbucks” strategy, introduced after Niccol became CEO in September 2024. In September 2025, the company announced hundreds of store closures and 900 non-retail job cuts as part of the turnaround effort. At that time, Starbucks projected that its company-operated North American store count would decline by roughly 1%.
The latest store decisions come as the company pursues a longer-term expansion plan as well. Starbucks said last week it remained committed to growing its North American store base over the long term. That stated commitment sits alongside the immediate closures: the company has not provided a revised store-count forecast explaining how closures, remodels and future openings fit together.
Labor relations are another part of the operating backdrop. More than 700 U.S. Starbucks stores have voted to unionize since late 2021, according to the source report. Starbucks and Starbucks Workers United have not reached a first collective bargaining agreement. The report does not say whether union status played a role in decisions about the stores slated to close.
“Employees at closing stores will be offered transfers to nearby locations where possible, with severance support available for workers who cannot be placed elsewhere.”
— Starbucks
Store List and Worker Impacts
The full list of closing stores remains unpublished, and Starbucks has not provided a geographic breakdown. Sfgate’s identification of 64 likely closures in California is based on its own compilation and app checks, so it should not be treated as a complete or official company list.
It is also unclear when each closure will take effect, how many employees will be affected, how many can transfer, and what severance support will include. The company has not explained the criteria used to select locations or released financial estimates for the closures and redesigns. The source material does not establish a direct link between store decisions and union activity or competition.
Redesigns Continue Through Fiscal 2026
Starbucks’ stated next milestone is to complete redesigns at at least 1,500 locations by the end of fiscal 2026. The work is moving into a broader rollout across listed U.S. and Canadian markets. The company has not given a schedule for the remaining remodels or a timeline for publishing the full closure list.
As individual stores close, employees and customers will learn which nearby locations remain available and whether transfers can be arranged. A clearer picture of the total impact will depend on Starbucks releasing store-level details and updated information about its North American location count.
Key Questions
How many Starbucks stores are closing?
Starbucks plans to close about 250 coffeehouses across North America. The reported figure equals about 2.2% of its 11,149 company-operated locations in the region.
Where will the closures happen?
Starbucks has not released a complete list or a regional breakdown. Sfgate identified 64 California locations it considered likely to close using its own list and app checks; that is not an official company count.
What happens to employees at closing stores?
Starbucks said it will offer transfers to nearby locations where possible. It said severance support will be available to employees who cannot be placed elsewhere, but has not given figures or package details.
How many stores are being remodeled?
Starbucks said it had completed redesigns at more than 1,000 U.S. and Canadian locations since late 2025. Its goal is at least 1,500 by the end of fiscal 2026.
Do the closures mean Starbucks is leaving North America?
No such conclusion follows from the announced closures. Starbucks said it remains committed to expanding its North American store base over the long term, though it has not published a revised forecast combining future growth with the planned closures.
Source: rss
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