Starbucks is closing six coffee shops in Washington state as part of a wider plan to shut about 250 underperforming locations across North America.
The Washington closures are taking place on Saturday, 26 September 2026, and affect stores in Redmond, Seattle, Spokane and Vancouver. The move is part of the coffee chain’s effort to improve its financial performance and reshape its shop network.
Six Washington Starbucks stores closing
The affected locations are the store at 7625 170th Avenue NE in Redmond; 999 NW Leary Way and 1700 Seventh Avenue in Seattle; 9150 Rainier Avenue South in Seattle; 2401 W Wellesley Avenue in Spokane; and 918 SE 164th Avenue in Vancouver.
Starbucks says the closures represent about 1 per cent of its more than 18,000 North American coffee shops. The company expects the latest round of closures to result in about $300 million in restructuring costs, with most of the work due to be completed by the end of its 2026 financial year.
Mike Grams, Starbucks’ chief operating officer, said the locations had been identified after a review of the company’s North American portfolio. He said some shops were not delivering the experience Starbucks wanted for customers and employees, while others had no clear path to acceptable financial performance.
The company has not published a full official list of all the affected locations. The Washington addresses were identified through information displayed on Starbucks’ store locator, with closure details collated by customers monitoring the company’s app.
Starbucks said it was speaking directly to workers at the affected shops and would look for opportunities to transfer them to other locations. Employees who cannot be placed elsewhere will receive severance support, according to Mr Grams.
The closures come as Starbucks continues its “Back to Starbucks” turnaround strategy, which is intended to improve service, refresh coffee shops and simplify the business. The company says it is also investing in existing locations and continuing to develop new shops in North America.
Starbucks has also been cutting jobs in its corporate operation. In May, it announced plans to remove 300 US corporate roles and close some underused offices, although it said the cuts did not affect coffee-shop employees.
The latest store closures will add to a period of change for the Seattle-based company, which has been reducing costs while attempting to revive sales under chief executive Brian Niccol.
