Starbucks to Close 250 US Stores, With 17 in New York
The coffee giant cited a need to streamline operations and improve customer experience as it announced nationwide closures, including several locations in New York City and State.
Starbucks is planning to close approximately 250 U.S. locations as part of a broader restructuring effort, the company announced this week. The closures will impact at least 17 stores in New York State and eight within New York City.
Mike Grams, Starbucks' Chief Operating Officer, stated that the decision stems from a review of the company's North America portfolio. "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," Grams said in a statement.
He added that closing stores is a difficult decision and acknowledged the impact on employees, customers, and communities. This move follows a series of layoffs and office consolidations at the company over the past year, including the elimination of 900 corporate positions last year and an additional 300 non-retail employees in May.
The company is undertaking a $1 billion restructuring initiative aimed at creating more intimate and refined customer environments. Starbucks has been experimenting with new store formats, including a prototype that debuted in San Antonio featuring enhanced seating and an upgraded espresso bar. According to CNN, Dawn Clark, senior vice president of global concepts and design at Starbucks, described these new formats as adaptable to various locations while retaining the core Starbucks experience.
Starbucks has already redesigned approximately 1,000 existing locations across North America and plans to continue these renovations through 2027. However, the immediate focus is on the planned closures.
Social media reactions to the news have been mixed, with some users expressing dissatisfaction with Starbucks' service and pricing, while others commented on the company's rapid expansion and subsequent closures.
According to reports, the New York stores slated for closure include:
- Amherst: 1703 Niagara Falls Blvd.
- Blasdell: 3540 McKinley Pkwy.
- Brighton: 1914 Monroe Ave.
- Brooklyn: 476 4th Ave.
- Commack: 125 Crooked Hill Rd.
- Fairport: 64 S. Main St.
- Greenvale: 114 Northern Blvd.
- Islip: 455 Main St.
- New Rochelle: 726 North Ave.
- New York (Manhattan): 11 Penn Plaza, W. 32nd St.
- New York (Manhattan): 15 Carlisle St.
- New York (Manhattan): 50 Lexington Ave.
- New York (Manhattan): 99 Wall St.
- New York (Manhattan): 100 William St.
- New York (Manhattan): 125 Chambers St.
- New York (Manhattan): 125 St. Marks Place
- Yonkers: 2458 Central Park Ave.