Sandpoint locations not among widespread closures
HAILEY HILL | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 4 months, 2 weeks AGO
Starbucks locations in North Idaho are not among the hundreds of stores across the U.S. and Canada facing sweeping closures.
The national chain operates two locations in the Sandpoint area, one inside Safeway in Sandpoint and the Schweitzer Crossing store in Ponderay.
In Kootenai County, the seven locations in Coeur d’Alene and two in Post Falls also will remain open. Impacted stores’ hours have been updated in the Starbucks app to indicate closures, a Starbucks spokesperson confirmed.
Starbucks chairman and chief executive officer Brian Niccol announced the closure of about 1% of all company stores Sept. 25 as part of a $1 billion “Back to Starbucks” restructuring plan, which includes $150 million in employee separation benefits and $850 million related to physical store closures and cost of exiting leases.
“We identified coffeehouses where we’re unable to create the physical environment our customers and partners expect, or where we don’t see a path to financial performance, and these locations will be closed,” Niccol said in a message to Starbucks partners.
Around 900 non-retail employees are also expected to be laid off under the restructuring plan, and many open positions will be closed, Niccol said.
“Each year, we open and close coffeehouses for a variety of reasons, from financial performance to lease expirations,” Niccol also said. “This is a more significant action that we understand will impact partners and customers. Our coffeehouses are centers of the community, and closing any location is difficult.”
Starbucks is working to place affected employees at other locations and “to help partners understand what opportunities might be available to them,” he said.
Though Starbucks has not released an official list of store closures, over 400 stores have already closed following Niccol’s announcement. Four stores in the Spokane area have closed, KXLY reported Monday.
The company is projected to end its fiscal year with about 18,300 licensed and operated locations. As of June 29, the company had 18,734 locations in its portfolio.
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