Starbucks to Close 250 Stores in U.S., Canada this Week

Starbucks plans to close approximately 250 coffeehouses in the United States and Canada this week as its turnaround under CEO Brian Niccol continues.

A Starbucks coffeehouse in North America. The company plans to close approximately 250 locations as part of its ongoing portfolio review. [Photo: 12th St David Flickr]

In a letter posted on Starbucks' website on Thursday, Chief Operating Officer Mike Grams said the company had reviewed its North American coffeehouse portfolio and identified locations that were underperforming or lacked a path to acceptable financial performance.

The closures represent about 1% of Starbucks' more than 18,000 North American coffeehouses.

“We have carefully reviewed our North America coffeehouse portfolio,” Grams wrote, adding that some locations could not consistently deliver the experience Starbucks wanted for customers and employees or did not have a path to acceptable financial performance.

Starbucks had 18,371 North American locations at the end of its fiscal third quarter, down from 18,734 a year earlier.

The company also reported 7.9% comparable-store sales growth globally in the quarter, while U.S. comparable-store sales increased 7.9%.

While Starbucks is closing some stores, it is also investing in its remaining coffeehouses.

The company said it had already redesigned more than 1,000 coffeehouses in the United States and Canada since late 2025, adding softer seating, artwork, greenery and other design elements intended to create a more welcoming atmosphere.

Starbucks said it is accelerating its coffeehouse “uplifts” and aims to complete 1,500 of them. The company said the improvements are part of its broader “Back to Starbucks” strategy.