TL;DR
Get coffee and tea gear delivered free with Prime
- Fast, free delivery on millions of items
- Prime Video, Amazon Music and more included
- Member-only deals all year
Starbucks plans to close about 250 coffeehouses in North America while continuing a redesign program that has reached more than 1,000 U.S. and Canadian locations. The company has not published a complete list of closing stores or a geographic breakdown, and it says affected employees may be offered transfers or severance support.
Starbucks plans to close about 250 coffeehouses across North America while redesigning hundreds of other locations, the company’s latest move to reshape its store network under CEO Brian Niccol. The closures amount to about 2.2% of its 11,149 company-operated North American stores, according to Daily Coffee News, while Starbucks has not released a complete list of affected locations.
The closures follow a separate announcement that Starbucks had completed redesigns, which it calls “uplifts,” at more than 1,000 U.S. and Canadian locations since late 2025. The company’s stated goal is to reach at least 1,500 redesigned stores by the end of fiscal 2026. The work is part of the “Back to Starbucks” strategy launched after Niccol became chief executive in September 2024.
Starbucks has not provided a store-by-store list or a regional breakdown. California may account for a substantial share: Sfgate identified 64 California locations it said were likely to close, using its own store list and checks through the Starbucks app. That figure is an independent estimate, not a company-confirmed count.
Starbucks said workers at closing stores will be offered transfers to nearby locations where possible. Employees who cannot be placed elsewhere may receive severance support. The company has not provided a public breakdown of how many workers could be affected or how many transfers it expects to arrange.
A Smaller Network, New Store Designs
The plan pairs closures with investment in stores Starbucks intends to keep. Its scale gives the company a chance to redirect resources toward redesigned locations, while also reducing access for customers who rely on stores that shut. The company has not detailed how the changes will affect sales, staffing levels overall or service in the markets losing locations.
The decision comes amid competition from established coffee sellers and chains expanding quickly in the United States. Daily Coffee News reported that Dutch Bros had 1,225 shops in 25 states as of June, up 17.4% from a year earlier. It also reported that 7 Brew grew from 602 locations entering 2026 to more than 800 across 38 states. Those figures describe competitors’ growth; Starbucks has not said the closures were a direct response to any one rival.
The changes also affect employees during an ongoing labor campaign. More than 700 U.S. Starbucks stores have voted to unionize since late 2021, while Starbucks and Starbucks Workers United have yet to reach a first collective bargaining agreement, according to the source report. The available information does not establish whether unionized stores are more or less likely to close.
Top picks for "starbuck clos stor"
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Two Rounds of Store Cuts
This is the second major round of store closures under Niccol. Last September, Starbucks announced hundreds of store closures and 900 non-retail job cuts as part of its turnaround effort. At that time, the company projected that its company-operated North American store count would decline by roughly 1%. That earlier projection and the current plan refer to separate rounds; the source report does not provide a combined total of stores closed across both.
The redesign program is moving beyond initial projects into a broader rollout. Starbucks has named U.S. markets including Atlanta, Austin, Dallas, Houston, Miami, Nashville, Orlando, Seattle and Washington, D.C., along with Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary. The reported rollout locations show where redesigns are planned; they do not identify which stores will close.
Starbucks said last week that it remains committed to expanding its North American store base over the long term. That statement indicates the company views the current cuts as part of a reshaping effort, but it does not specify when or where future openings may occur.
““Back to Starbucks””
— Starbucks
Store List and Worker Impacts
Starbucks has not disclosed which stores will close, the full geographic distribution of closures or a timeline for each location. The California figure reported by Sfgate is based on independent research and should not be treated as a confirmed company list.
The number of employees affected, the share who may transfer and the amount or terms of severance support are also unknown. The company has not published projected savings or explained how the closures will affect its long-term store count. Those details would help clarify the financial and local effects of the plan.
Closures and Redesigns Ahead
Starbucks is continuing its redesign rollout, with a stated target of at least 1,500 U.S. and Canadian uplifts by the end of fiscal 2026. The company has not announced a date for publishing a full closure list. Further details about affected stores, employee placements and timing will be needed to assess the local reach of the cuts.
The company’s stated long-term commitment to expanding its North American store base leaves open the possibility of future openings, but Starbucks has not named specific markets or a schedule. For now, the confirmed development is a planned reduction of about 250 locations alongside ongoing investment in stores that remain.
Key Questions
How many Starbucks stores are expected to close?
Starbucks plans to close about 250 North American coffeehouses. The figure represents about 2.2% of the company’s 11,149 company-operated stores in the region, according to Daily Coffee News.
Has Starbucks published the full list of closing locations?
No. Starbucks has not released a complete store list or a regional breakdown. Sfgate identified 64 California locations it said were likely to close, but that is an independent estimate.
What support will affected employees receive?
Starbucks said workers will be offered transfers to nearby stores where possible. It said severance support may be available for employees who cannot be placed elsewhere; the number affected and specific terms have not been reported.
How many stores will Starbucks redesign?
The company said it had completed redesigns at more than 1,000 U.S. and Canadian locations since late 2025 and aims to reach at least 1,500 by the end of fiscal 2026.
Source: rss
Fall Picks
fall essentials
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
