Starbucks closing 5 Washington stores, cutting 8 Seattle HQ jobs
Oct 7, 2026, 10:06 AM
A Starbucks sign is displayed at a Starbucks store. (Photo: Brandon Bell, Getty Images)
(Photo: Brandon Bell, Getty Images)
Starbucks is closing five stores in Washington and cutting eight jobs at its Seattle headquarters.
A WARN notice filed Wednesday said the closures include locations in Seattle, Redmond, Spokane, and Vancouver.
The company said the closures are expected to be permanent, with terminations scheduled between Nov. 14 and Dec. 4.
A total of 51 workers are affected. Some store employees will be offered transfers.
This local set of closures follows the company’s announcement last month that it was closing 250 North American stores.
RELATED STORIES
Starbucks closing 250 stores in North America
In a letter to employees, Starbucks Chief Operating Officer Mike Grams said the targeted locations either aren’t delivering acceptable financial results or can’t provide the kind of experience Starbucks wants for customers and employees.
The company didn’t say Thursday which coffeehouses will close or how many are located in the U.S. It also didn’t say how many of the affected coffeehouses are unionized. More than 700 U.S. Starbucks stores have voted to unionize since late 2021, but Starbucks doesn’t support the unionization effort, and the union and the company have yet to reach a labor agreement.
Grams said Starbucks is continuing to retrofit its North American coffeehouses to make them cozier and more inviting. The company expects 1,500 stores will be retrofitted by Sept. 30, which is the end of Starbucks’ fiscal year.
“This progress 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.”
Grams said Starbucks is still committed to growing its store count in North America.
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.
Contributing: The Associated Press
Follow @http://twitter.com/Mynorthwest
