Starbucks releases the full list of store closures

Here it is [PDF format]. Starbucks says: "In the spirit of transparency with our partners, customers and communities, we have provided the full list of stores below for general information purposes." Finally.
 

Comments

[Jj]

Crazy, three from my district. Sucks I guess.

[seventysix [76]]

All stores in my district are safe.

I feel fortunate.

To all partners who's stores are closing, I am sorry. I hope you find stores to transfer to.

[joe]

Hey Admin -
They wanted the partners in the closing store to get the word from a person and not the internet. They handled it correctly. Quit complaining that it took a while ... they did it the right way.

[lattewizard]

yikes. two in my district. my store is safe though.

[jacquelyn]

Only one in Arizona...and it just happens to be the one my husband's architecture firm did last year. I'm not surprised. It was not obvious it was there to those driving by on I-10. Even though we go back and forth between Tucson and Phoenix all the time we never stopped, though we often said we would since it was the first Starbucks the firm ever did.

[jabanga]

wow. they are closing the bangor, maine mall store. when i left the company that was a seemingly highly successful store. they opened a second bangor store and are now closing both of them. i wonder if was cannibalization or being so far from the closest neighboring stores that put them on the list?

[Bren]

Why on earth would they close the one at Emerald Square Mall in Attleboro? It's the only one in that area; cripes, we drive from over the border in RI for Starbies! Dumb, dumb, dumb - there is nothing else in that mall and whenever we go there is always a line.......

[Westcoast Barista]

Seriously JOE, I don't think I've EVER seen such an ingrained culture of submissiveness to management in my entire life!! Just so I know ahead of time, is it a requirement that my balls are surgically removed before being promoted to management positions?

Like most things as of late, corporate communications have been caught with their pants down, done their best deer in headlights impression, and thankfully now are doing what they should have done in the first place by announcing it publicly.

[wholahay]

There's a difference in being busy, and being profitable.

[Westcoast Barista]

Seriously JOE, I don't think I've EVER seen such an ingrained culture of submissiveness to management in my entire life!! Just so I know ahead of time, is it a requirement that my balls are surgically removed before being promoted to management positions?

Like most things as of late, corporate communications have been caught with their pants down, done their best deer in headlights impression, and thankfully now are doing what they should have done in the first place by announcing it publicly.

[AL]

the one near me is a pretty busy drive through that no doubt makes profit
but is simply a mile away from 3 others
that kinda sucks

[P.R.I.D.E.]

Can we please get over the right or wrong issue regarding the communication strategy? Let's just agree to disagree, and move on please. We all have our opinion, and there are a million posts regarding this in the last thread where it was discussed...at length...

[Herman M]

Hey, Joe.
Fine, from a person. But two weeks? That means there were partners who may have had to wait for two weeks to find out. In the lack of accurate information, the human mind does terrible things. If one could see them, I bet the stores that found out last had higher incidences of EAP calls to deal with the stress and anxiety of not knowing. Of course, they still won't know until a month out...

And now that the list is published, the rest of the ordeal can finally begin. That would be on the support side of the equation. 600 stores has the ability to really mess up a lot of folks' days who are not retail partners. And who until today didn't know what stores were closing.

I was talking to an equipment tech (the guys who did all that hard work getting the equipment upgraded not too long ago), and he didn't know if he was still going to be around. Why? Because out of "respect" for the retail partners, no one in facilities/support was told anything until the last store had notified all of its partners. That means only now can these partners look and see how likely it is they will be getting the sack. Fortunately, it looks like he will be staying. But until now, he couldn't even speculate because respect for the retail partners didn't extend to the simple act of saying even something vague like "15 of your stores will be closing. Details later".

So I thank the webmaster for pushing for disclosure on this important issue. Next time I'm in Chicago, I will definitely buy him a cup of joe.

[mainer]

Jabanga, the maine bangor mall store they are closing is the kiosk not the fairly profitable store on bangor mall blvd, easily confusing

[sorry]

just an fyi for those who think they are sitting pretty in stores not on the list, the RDOs and DMs are going through the lists of partners at safe stores and weeding out underperforming partners to make homes for those losing their stores. this is an obvious move but it seems like no one is discussing it...

[Hallo]

They're closin my store, however, the entire district is clambering to get our partners and our store manager. We may not have been the most profitable, but we had the highest customer voice scores, and the highest ecosure audits in the district! What the partners could control, we excelled in.

[Kittery Partner]

One of the stores in the district I am in is closing... the only one closing in new hampshire. I hope all the partners there have the opportunity to easily transfer to neighboring stores. Wendy and bonnie you guys are great. And I am surprised that a couple of the stores in bangor are closing. Maybe it is because it is remote compared to the remainder of the stores in maine. I am glad Kittery, Maine is staying open. Great little store to work at.

[layla]

Starbucks is not able to focus on coffee. They bring in CD's, DVD's, books, books on cd. They have their barista's running around trying to learn the NEW starbucks thing for THAT month then wonder why the coffee sales have come down. The stock is heading down because who wants to invest in a company that can't focus on what is important; the PEOPLE and the COFFEE.

[sbuxcustomer]

Yes! Only one Starbucks in my state is closing and it is not even near me. It is over 200 miles away at the end of the state. There are very few Starbucks in my state. No Starbucks in my area is closing.

[Pat Nerr]

Jeeze... just another example of Starbucks dropping the ball...

Just kidding... it was the right thing to do. Pull the band aid off so affected partners can grieve and move on...

...and make smoothies elsewhere

just sayin'

[justacustomer]

Yeah, finally the whole list. I came to this site (Thanks JIM!) because I figured it would have the answers, either officially or, more likely (and in reality) unofficially. But it's time to move on now. There's too much attitude/sniping back and forth/stock "analysis"/etc. etc. The bad outweighs the good.

As Q would say- "I'll be back from time to time."

[R.]

I'm surprised they're closing the store at Broadway and 52nd in Manhattan. Sure, there are enough Starbucks in Times Square, but they always seem to have insane lines. There are also a ton of offices buildings in the area.

[ellaquince]

I just saw the list for St. Paul. They're closing the store that is less than two blocks from the site of the Republican National Convention events Sept. 1-4. I sure hope they don't close it before that event. (Especially since it opened less than two years ago and drove the independent coffee shop down the block out of business.)

[thesouthwestsiren]

It's amazing that only one store in Albuquerque is closing - pushing around 30 stores with more to come. I guess it points to the strength of the economy there. Santa Fe is safe, and Las Cruces is losing one. The closure of the 4506 North Main store in Roswell, NM is the wrong choice. It is in a growth area with many corporations building stores and hotels. My heart goes out to the dedicated partners at #11733.

[sbuxnewbie]

Now all we have to do is wait to see WHEN we're closing.

At the beginning of the month it was "Between August and March". Now it is "Between September and March".

The nearest stores to mine are 3, 10, 11, 12, 15, 24, 30 and 49 miles away. One of them (15 miles away) is on a bus route, but the buses on that line don't run until 6 AM, and shut down at 10. The store 3 miles away has a full staff, and all but one of the shifts has been with the company longer than I have.

With gas prices the way they are, I know three of the stores are right out. so I have to consider real hard whether I can afford to stay. Several of the other partners have already stated that they can't afford to transfer anywhere, so will leave the company when we close.

Breaking up is hard to do. (Sigh!)

[emii]

wow... four from my old district alone, and most of those old and respected stores :'/ what a bummer.

[Wyfind]

I'm not surprised at the two stores that are closing in my city; they weren't too busy at all and probably didn't surprise anyone for that matter.

[truth]

This is good.

It'll be interesting to see if some sort of rationale arises from the list. Malls seem to be well-represented, for example. So does urban core. Is it logistics? Nearby competition? Store size? Etc.

This sort of info would be useful.

(Yes, I know they cited 'profitability', but that wasn't the only criteria used. What else?)

[Java Joe]

What's really frustrating about all this griping on here is no one is talking about serious issues. Who approved 600 sites that were not profitable and kept some of them open for TWO YEARS or more!!!????? While you're all griping about the F'n list and when it should have been released... there's a more serious accountability issue here. I thought a guiding principle was "Recognize that PROFITABILITY is ESSENTIAL to our FUTURE success." The people/person responsible for these "unprofitable stores" is not the one who now has to deal with this s**t storm. And to site another comment... there are a lot of people who are afraid for their jobs. It's awful that people know their store is closing, but at least the stores know and can move on with their lives. There are thousands of others who have to sit and wait. Like Starbucks or hate Starbucks-agree or disagree, remember that you are blogging about PEOPLE who have lives and bills to pay, please be a little more sensitive.

[disenchanted]

Holy crap. My favorite store in E'ville, IN, is on that list. I don't get it -- they have two stores close together on the east side and those stay open. The only coffee place on the west side? Closing.

I guess I'll be investing in a coffee pot.

[FLA SM]

Five stores closing in my district, including mine. However, I did notice that the Starbucks website included this disclaimer:

"This list is based on currently available operating, financial and competitive information. Actual store closures may differ depending on a variety of factors including, but not limited to, risks related to finalization of third party agreements, expected costs savings, income tax and other benefits associated with the store closures in the anticipated time frame, if at all."

Apparently, there's a chance, however small, that a store pegged for termination may not necessarily close.

[profitable?]

Is this really about profitability?

Or is it about:
-leases
-future potential of a location
-tax write-offs (write off new equipment, build-out costs, furniture, etc. now before it depreciates)
-distribution costs (for those "outliers")
-regional politics
-the perception of un-doing Jim's mistakes (He makes a great scapegoat)

Its been said before that there is more to these closures than just the bottom line.

[mainer]

java joe, the company was all over that, the head honcho in my regions real estate office along with some of his team (not sure how many) were part of some of the corporate layoffs this winter/spring

[SBUX]

Like others have said, I doubt this is about profitability. Our store was recently opened in a town that already had one. We typically don't break 2000 on the week days. Its usually around 1200. I seem to recall a few 900 days.

Yet a store is closing in the neighboring town which does a LOT more business than us.

[zepling]

Two stores I frequent (one that I got a job offer from) are closing.

Monument BLVD, Concord
N. Main ST, Walnut Creek.

Sad.

[truth]

@profitable- Closing newer stores have a greater tax benefit from a depreciation standpoint. They can accelerate the depreciation forward, whereas the older stores have less or no depreciation advantage. But that's one factor of many.

But 'disenchanted' raises a great point. Why close a store on one side of town when there are two left on the other? My guess is the closing store was the worst performing and the ripest target for whatever reason.

THEN they will wait some period and assess where the closed store customers go, and then close the least performing of the remaining two stores, leaving Evansville with only one store.

This follows my guess that they are going to drastically reduce the number of stores so that the brand isn't so diluted. One store per small city. A few stores per larger city. And the licensees keep churning revenue.

They want a store to become a destination again. Full of these revenue 'platforms'.

And this smaller footprint won't compete with potential buyers, either.

[Tracy]

Oh no! Rhonda's store is closing!! :-(

Me is sad now.

[Trent]

Sad day for me. I work in NorCal and am sad to see that a store in San Jose is closing.

[Cali ASM]

Truth,
I agree. I believe this is only the first wave of store closures. Once the dust has settled I think we'll see another wave of stores closing.

My store was hit hard in 2005 by a new store opened less than five minutes away. Then in 2007, two drive-thrus opened in the next town north of me which greatly impacted my business. Then a third drive-thru opened in that same town!

Now only one of those three drive-thrus is closing, not sure when, but they're on the list of 600.

I would not be surprised if another one of those drive-thru stores closes in a potential second wave of store closures.

More store closures, layoffs, I believe there coming in 2009.

[eastside]

"Holy crap. My favorite store in E'ville, IN, is on that list. I don't get it -- they have two stores close together on the east side and those stay open. The only coffee place on the west side? Closing."
----

I was thinking the same thing! Although I'm on the east side and not affected, the West side location is such a nice one. Besides, in addition to the two east side locations, there's the drive-thru in Newburgh. I'm just hoping the Burkhardt store remains open.

[jermajesty]

"The RDOs and DMs are going through the lists of partners at safe stores and weeding out underperforming partners to make homes for those losing their stores."

I noticed this!! And it's probably me, cause I sure feel like I'm under a lot of scrutiny right now. Just what I need is more stress.

[Jeff]

Guess the Eugene/Springfield, Or., Stores are safe and sound, but those closing are only up in Portland - hmm, go figures! My favorite stores are still open, as I saw on the list!....

[JJJive]

I apologize if someone has already brought this up...

I'm too tired from my utterly supportless afternoon of dealing with $2 Iced Grande drinks - a promo that was sprung on us just today with NO LABOR to deal with it... I'm too tired from that to read through all these posts...

Ok, but here's what I'd like to bring up...

What in the hell made SBUX think it was a wise plan to tell partners like 3 weeks ago that their stores were closing before they decided to come out with a confirmed list of closures? Starbucks suffers enough bad press/PR as it is with all the crap that's going down these days without having a bunch more rumors swirling around about what's shutting down, who's loosing a job, who's gonna take YOUR job because their store's closing...

That's right, I've heard that too. A partner I know from one of the stores on the closure list said her DM informed all the partners weeks ago that their store may be closing, but he promised there was "a place for each of them" in other stores...

Excuse me?

How in the hell can he promise that?

I can't think of a more irresponsible and empty thing to promise a partner whose store is closing. Labor is one of the biggest things taking a hit these days with stocks tanking and profit margins narrowing. No one I know had extra labor just layin around, so does that mean they're gonna cut the hours of partners to make room for displace partners? I'd like to see them try that... Or did he mean it was housecleaning time at other nearby stores? You're out and these folks are in. Sorry.

Whatever the case, to 'promise' 8 baristas, 3 shifts, and an SM that oh yeah, you'll have a job at Starbucks if you want it is laughable and unconscionable if you ask me.

...I guess if they don't mind driving 2 hours each way, the BUX has a job waiting for them 3 counties over maybe.

Ridiculous.

Whaddaya wanna bet they're gonna use the Cup Fund to pay the severance packages too.

Get it together Starbucks - you are completely imbittering and alienating a growing group of us who have supported, defended, and worked very hard to keep the profits coming in for you. Show us a little respect here. Give US a little support here. It's getting more and more difficult each day to justify the 'benefits' you offer being worth it.

[StLouieDrip]

P.R.I.D.E. Can we please get over the right or wrong issue regarding the communication strategy?

No.

[JJJive]

PS - Uh, what the hell do they put in the protein powder for the Vivanos??? I've been dropping these crazy raunchy bombs for two days straight so bad I think my insides are gonna explode. Damn. No more of those for a while.

[Trent]

^ Its a pretty widespread complaint apparently. Many partners in my stores have been complaining about stomach aches from Vivannos. Its because the protein powder also has fiber in it.

[nebarista]

Two stores in my district closing. I have no idea about one of them, but I can say for sure that Starbucks will be better off without the other. We had a partner from the bad store transer to us, be an awful employee (using cell during work, disrespecting other partners), then transfered back to his old store with no notice a month and got rewarded with a promotion to Shift. And there were plenty of other rumored issues with that store on top of that one.

That is one good thing about these closings, an opprotunity to weed out crap stores like that one and be a better company because of it.

[taylor]

they talk about transparency but why would they not release it to partners first? i was on the portal many times today and nothing mentioned anything of this kind of press release... this is just bull...

[energybolt]

PARTNERS ARE DOING THEIR JOBS! All we ask of the public is to be a little kinder & a little more patient with the changes that affect all of us! Give us a break!! Please!!!

[cornfrost]

Just on Wednesday, all the NY papers ran stories saying that the ONLY New York City store closing was in Staten Island.

One day later, we have this list, with the Bay Ridge store in "Brooklyn" closing, Broadway and 52nd in "Manhattan" closing, and 5 more stores in "New York" closing. So read the list closely for geographical and orthographical snafus.

NY has hiring posters up everywhere. At least it should be easy for partners in the closing NY stores to move elsewhere, because there is usually another Starbux a few blox away.