BUZZ KILL

Starbucks Axes 900 Staff as Sales Slump

Seattle coffee giant forced into a billion-dollar revamp of the ailing brand.

Starbucks will axe 900 office jobs and shutter underperforming stores as part of a $ 1 billion restructure. CEO Brian Niccol outlined the latest cutbacks as demand for Starbucks’ products continues to fall. In July, Starbucks announced it would close or convert the 80 to 90 stores that formed part of its takeout-only “Starbucks Pick Up” locations. In a letter to employees on Thursday, Niccol said he would now scale back management roles in corporate and close many existing open job vacancies. The decision came after a review where they “identified coffeehouses where we’re unable to create the physical environment our customers and partners expect, or where we don’t see a path to financial performance,” Niccol wrote. Starbucks said its store count would fall about 1 percent in the 2025 fiscal year and the planned store closures would happen mostly in North America.