- Starbucks is closing 2 more stores.
- The company previously said it would close 16 stores in Portland, Seattle, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC.
- Starbucks says that "challenging incidents" are making the stores unsafe for workers and customers.
Starbucks is permanently closing two more locations around the US, adding to the initial list of 16 that closed in July.
The coffee chain told Insider the two new closures are due to safety issues. The store in Missouri will close permanently while the location in Seattle will reopen as a licensed location in a nearby grocery store, Reuters reported.
"We continue to evaluate the partner and customer experience at all of our stores as a regular course of business," Starbucks told Insider in a statement.
"After careful consideration, we are closing some stores in locations that have experienced a high volume of challenging incidents that make it unsafe to continue to operate, to open new locations with safer conditions," a Starbucks spokesperson previously told Insider. The incidents that workers have reported involve customers and other members of the public using drugs in the stores.
The company said that the closures are to make Starbucks locations safer for customers and employees, reiterating the message in a letter that Debbie Stroud and Denise Nelson, the senior VPs of US operations at Starbucks, sent to employees on July 11. The company also gives local leaders the authority to close bathrooms, reduce seating, and take other measures to keep conditions safe for employees.
"We look forward to continuing to serve these local communities and encourage our customers to visit us at our other stores in these areas, which can be found on the Starbucks App or Starbucks Store Locator," the spokesperson said.
More stores will close in the future, CEO Howard Schultz said in leaked footage in July Starbucks confirmed as authentic.
"This is just the beginning. There are going to be many more," he said.
Newly announced closures:
- 302 Nichols Road, Kansas City, Missouri
- 9999 Holman Road, Seattle, Washington
Previously announced closures:
- Santa Monica & Westmount, West Hollywood, California
- Hollywood & Western, Los Angeles, California
- 1st & Los Angeles (Doubletree), Los Angeles, California
- Hollywood & Vine, Hollywood, California
- Ocean Front Walk & Moss, Santa Monica, California
- 2nd & San Pedro, Los Angeles, California
- 10th & Chestnut, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- 4th & Morrison, Portland, Oregon
- Gateway, Portland, Oregon
- 23rd & Jackson, Seattle, Washington
- Roosevelt Square, Seattle, Washington
- E. Olive Way, Seattle, Washington
- 505 Union Stn, Seattle, Washington
- Westlake Center, Seattle, Washington
- Hwy 99 & Airport Rd, Everett, Washington
- Union Station Train Concourse, Washington, DC
Do you have a story to share about a retail or restaurant chain? Email this reporter at mmeisenzahl@businessinsider.com.
Watch: Starbucks' Pumpkin Spice Latte hits menus today. Limited-time offers are just one way the chain gets you to spend more money.
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