HCM & HRIS

Starbucks announces eighth layoffs in two years

August 25, 2026
www.ETHRWorld.com
No Comments
  • Updated On Aug 25, 2026 at 12:14 PM IST

The affected employees are associated with Starbucks' headquarters at 2401 Utah Avenue South in Seattle />Starbucks is set to cut 224 corporate and remote jobs linked to its Seattle headquarters, with about 120 employees losing their jobs after declining offers to relocate to the coffee giant’s new $100 million corporate office in Nashville, Tennessee.<br><br><!– PROMOSLOT_M –>The latest job cuts are part of Starbucks’ eighth layoff event in Washington state over the past two years, according to the state’s WARN database. The filings have collectively affected 2,538 workers during that period.<br><br>According to a WARN filing submitted to the Washington Employment Security Department, the latest layoffs will begin on October 19, 2026, and are expected to be completed by November 1.<br><br><!– PROMOSLOT_M –><div class=” article-detail-ad-slot=”” captionrendered=”1″ data-src=”https://etimg.etb2bimg.com/photo/133497582.cms” height=”442″ loading=”eager” src=”https://hr.economictimes.indiatimes.com/images/default.jpg” width=”590″></img></p> </div> <p>The affected employees are associated with Starbucks’ headquarters at 2401 Utah Avenue South in Seattle.</p> <h2>Why are 120 Starbucks employees losing their jobs?</h2> <p>About 120 of the 224 employees affected by the latest layoffs were offered the opportunity to relocate from Seattle to Nashville but declined the move.</p> <p>Employees who accepted Starbucks’ relocation offers are not included in the planned layoffs.</p> <p>The move comes as Starbucks expands its corporate presence in Nashville. The company is investing $100 million in a new corporate office there, which is expected to support the creation of up to 2,000 jobs over the coming years.</p> <p>Starbucks has said its Seattle headquarters will remain operational even as some corporate functions shift toward Nashville.</p> <h3>Which Starbucks employees are affected?</h3> <p>The remaining 104 positions covered by the latest WARN filing are tied to broader organizational changes involving coffeehouse design and development functions.</p> <p>The affected jobs span several corporate roles, including managers, programme and project managers, application developers, engineers, designers, real estate employees, store designers, software quality assurance professionals, systems analysts and technical product managers.</p> <p>The range of positions indicates that the latest cuts extend across multiple corporate functions rather than being limited to a single team.</p> <h4>Starbucks layoffs come under Brian Niccol’s turnaround plan</h4> <p>The latest workforce reduction comes as Starbucks continues its corporate restructuring under CEO Brian Niccol’s “Back to Starbucks” turnaround plan.</p> <p>Niccol took over as Starbucks CEO in September 2024 and has focused on improving the company’s coffeehouse experience, customer service, customer engagement and store designs.</p> <p>The company has also been working to strengthen its “Third Place” concept, which positions its coffeehouses as social spaces between home and work.</p> <h5>Starbucks has announced several layoffs in Washington</h5> <p>The latest 224-job reduction follows other layoffs announced by Starbucks in Washington this year.</p> <p>The company previously disclosed layoffs affecting 60 employees at its Seattle headquarters. A separate WARN filing in May covered 252 employees connected to Starbucks’ Seattle support center.</p> <p>According to Washington state’s WARN database, Starbucks’ latest filing marks its eighth layoff event in the state over the past two years, with the combined filings affecting 2,538 workers.</p> <p>Starbucks reported a global workforce of 381,000 employees as of September 2025, according to its fiscal 2025 annual report.</p> <p>The latest cuts highlight the contrast in Starbucks’ current strategy: the company is reducing parts of its Seattle-based corporate workforce while investing $100 million in a new Nashville office that could support up to 2,000 jobs. </p> <div> <div> <ul> <li><a href=ET Online

  • Published On Aug 25, 2026 at 12:11 PM IST

Join the community of 2M+ industry professionals.

Subscribe to Newsletter to get latest insights & analysis in your inbox.

All about industry right on your smartphone!

  • Download the App and get the Realtime updates and Save your favourite articles.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *