By Arthur Parashar,Editor,Tom Cotterill
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Starbucks announces it will close ‘some’ UK stores as it makes global cuts
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By ARTHUR PARASHAR, SENIOR REPORTER and TOM COTTERILL, SENIOR REPORTER
Updated: 15:21 BST, 25 September 2025
Starbucks has announced it will close some of its UK caf̩s Рbut failed to disclose how many stores will be affected or how many workers could be at risk.
The global coffee chain confirmed on Thursday it had launched a consultation over the proposed closure of a number of company-owned UK stores, putting staff at the sites at risk.
However, it did not disclose how many stores will be affected or their locations. where these are located and how many workers will be affected.
Starbucks runs around 520 company-owned stores in the UK, as well as franchise-owned coffee shops.
It is understood more than 5,600 people work for Starbucks across the UK.
The chain said it is planning to close sites where it has not been able to ‘create the physical environment customers’ want, and where they are not sustainably profitable.
Despite announcing the closures, Starbucks said it is still on track to open 80 new sites in the UK and is committed to the country.
They also revealed it will reduce its portfolio of stores in North America by one per cent this year and will cut around 900 head office jobs there.
Starbucks has announced it will close some of its UK caf̩s Рbut failed to disclose how many stores will be affected or how many workers could be at risk (file image)
UK’s biggest coffee chain has clever way to beat Starbucks in huge US push
It is the latest set of cuts from chairman and chief executive Brian Niccol, who joined the company a year ago.
In February, Mr Niccol – who faced criticism over his use of a private plane to commute from California to its offices in Seattle – announced plans to lay off 1,100 workers.
In a statement, Starbucks said: ‘We have conducted a review of our coffeehouse portfolio in North America and certain stores have been identified for closure where it has not been possible to create the physical environment customers and partners (employees) want, and where there isn’t a path to financial performance.
‘In Europe Middle East & Africa (EMEA), we have conducted a similar review of our company-operated store portfolio with the goal of ensuring that our stores are correctly located, generating appropriate levels of foot traffic and operating in the right formats.
‘While the EMEA business is on track to meet its commitment to open 80 new stores in the UK and 150 across EMEA this financial year, some stores in the UK, Switzerland and Austria will close as a result of this portfolio review.’
The news comes as Costa Coffee, the UK’s largest coffee chain, seeks to make an aggressive expansion into the United States.
In a potential fresh blow for beleaguered Starbucks, at a time the America giant is struggling to win back customers.
Costa, which runs about 2,500 cafés in Britain along with thousands of self-serve ‘barista in a box’ machines, is betting that its unconventional model will resonate with American consumers.
Its Smart Caf̩s can whip up 200 customizable drinks Рhot or cold Рin 90 seconds without a barista. To mimic the caf̩ experience, they even play the sounds of beans grinding and milk frothing.
Since Coca-Cola acquired Costa in 2018, the brand has opened five normal cafes near the soft drink giant’s Atlanta headquarters.
But the real US push is coming through the machines, which Costa plans to install on college campuses, in hospitals, convenience stores, and airports nationwide. Host locations share revenue with the company.
Starbucks remains the biggest coffee chain in the US, but it has lost millions of customers over the past 18 months.
It is grappling with a turnaround plan that has yet to pay off, as well as staring down a new threat from Chinese chain Luckin, which lures customers with $2 drinks.
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Starbucks announces it will close ‘some’ UK stores as it makes global cuts
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