Starbucks Plans To Close 400 Locations But Expand To-Go Options
Starbucks recently announced plans to restructure and according to USA Today, part of that restructuring includes closing 400 of their locations while expanding their carry-out and to-go offerings. Starbucks says that over the next 18 months they have plans to "accelerate expansion of convenience-led formats such as Drive-Thru, mobile order only Starbucks Pickup and curbside pickup to meet changing customers behaviors." These changes in behavior believed to be led by the Covid-19 crisis.
According to the coffee giant, even before Covid-19, 80% of their business was "on-the-go." Most people are opting for the convenience of ordering in advance. According to the press release,
“Starbucks stores have always been known as the ’third place,’ a welcoming place outside of our home and work where we connect over a cup of coffee,” said Kevin Johnson, ceo, Starbucks. “As we navigate through the COVID-19 crisis, we are accelerating our store transformation plans to address the realities of the current situation, while still providing a safe, familiar and convenient experience for our customers.”
So will the closures impact the 10 Starbucks locations scattered across the city of Evansville and what about the locations in Newburgh and Henderson? We don't know yet, but the company does have 32,000 locations all across the world.