Starbucks to Close 250 Stores in North America
The chain also expects 1,500 stores to be updated by September 30.
Sep 25, 2026 | 2 min read
Starbucks reportedly plans to close 250 of its North American stores this week, according to the Associated Press. The company didn’t specify which coffeehouse locations will close.
“It is the second big round of store closures under Starbucks Chairman and CEO Brian Niccol, who joined the company in 2024. Last September, Starbucks closed 627 stores in North America and Europe,” the outlet wrote.
In a letter to employees, Starbucks Chief Operating Officer Mike Grams said the locations set to close either aren’t delivering acceptable financial results or can’t provide the kind of experience that Starbucks wants for customers and employees.
Starbucks said it will transfer employees to other stores if possible or provide severance support if it’s not able to place an employee in another location.
Grams also said that Starbucks is continuing to retrofit its North American coffeehouses to make them more inviting. The company expects 1,500 stores to be updated by September 30, which is the end of Starbucks’ fiscal year.
“Starbucks has also been cutting its corporate ranks. The company laid off 900 nonretail employees when it closed stores last September. In May, Starbucks laid off an additional 300 corporate employees and closed some underused U.S. offices,” AP wrote.
The company said it will incur $300 million in restructuring charges with this round of closures, including $200 million in cash charges as it exits leases and pays employee separation benefits and $100 million in non-cash charges due to the disposal and impairment of coffeehouse assets.
“This has given us a clearer view of the performance of every coffeehouse,” Grams said in his letter. “While most are benefiting from this overall momentum, some coffeehouses continue to underperform despite the hard work and commitment of all of you.”
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