The company plans to close out the fiscal year at the end of September with 18,300 stores in the U.S. and Canada, meaning about 400 stores will shutter by next week, CEO Brian Niccol announced Thursday. As of June, Starbucks operated 18,734 stores in North America.

ALBANY — Hundreds of Starbucks stores will close nationwide this month, including one in Albany and three in the Hudson Valley, as part of a nationwide downsizing announced by the company's CEO on Thursday.

Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol announced on Thursday (September 25, 2025) via a letter to the employees that hundreds will be laid off this month. The coffee giant announced that it will close 1% of its stores, resulting in the layoff of nearly 900 employees.

The push to unionize Starbucks has surged in recent years. Baristas formed Starbucks Workers United in New York in December of 2021, and by the following May, California employees had organized four locations in a single week. Earlier this month, the union announced its 650th successful vote nationwide.

Brian Niccol vowed to get Starbucks back on track. A year on, sales are looking up, and his plan's in motion to make the coffee chain's stores cozier.

Brian Niccol's turnaround strategy is bringing back some customers, but investors were expecting faster results.

On the heels of being sued by employees over its dress code, Starbucks is planning to cut more than 900 jobs and close hundreds of coffeehouses as part of a $1 billion restructuring effort, the company announced on Sept.

Niccol is looking to execute his Chipotle playbook at Starbucks. But the undertaking is different in a few key ways — and hasn't paid off just yet.