Starbucks is closing its cafés in Port Moody and Coquitlam as part of a wave of store shutdowns across North America. The Port Moody shop at 176 Brew Street and the Coquitlam location at 2662 Austin Avenue are among eight Metro Vancouver stores set to close.
Other closures in the region include locations in Richmond, Burnaby, Surrey, and three in Vancouver. Several stores in Victoria and the B.C. Interior are also affected, and the number of closures may rise. The company said it will finish the fiscal year with 124 fewer stores across North America.
Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol said the closures are part of the company’s “Back to Starbucks” plan, which focuses on investing in higher-performing cafés. “We are focusing our resources on locations that can deliver the customer experience and performance we are targeting,” Niccol said in a statement.
While Starbucks typically closes stores due to lease expirations or underperformance, employees have noted that this round feels different. Some staff shared frustrations on social media about the sudden shutdowns and limited support for transfers to other locations.
The closures also follow the company’s decision to cut 900 non-retail jobs and shut down the Capitol Hill Reserve Roastery in Seattle, a flagship store once seen as a symbol of Starbucks’ ambitions. What will replace the shuttered Metro Vancouver locations remains unclear.
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