Starbucks cuts – Starbucks says it will eliminate 300 corporate support roles in the United States, the third round of corporate job cuts in 15 months as CEO Brian Niccol pushes efficiency and the “Back to Starbucks” turnaround.
When Starbucks began pulling back on corporate headcount under CEO Brian Niccol, it framed the moves as a path to “durable, profitable growth.” This week, the message landed again with a new round of layoffs: the company confirmed it will cut 300 corporate employees in the United States.
The job cuts. announced Friday. do not target the bulk of Starbucks’ workforce. which is largely made up of retail workers employed in thousands of coffee shops around the world.. Instead, the layoffs will hit the company’s roughly 19,000-strong U.S.. corporate team, as Starbucks employs an additional 5,000 non-retail staff internationally.
A Starbucks spokesperson said the reductions involve “300 U.S.. support roles.” The spokesperson also said the company is reviewing its international support organization and expects “additional role impacts outside the U.S.” In the same set of changes. Starbucks said it is streamlining its real estate footprint. including consolidating U.S.. regional office space.
The cuts come at a time when Starbucks says it is building momentum, pointing to cost discipline and operational changes tied to its “Back to Starbucks” strategy. The latest layoffs are being made to support the initiative’s streamlining operations pillar.
“We are taking further action under the Back to Starbucks strategy, building on our strong business momentum and working to return the company to durable, profitable growth,” a company spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
This is the third corporate layoff wave at Starbucks since Niccol took over in 2024.. In February 2025. Starbucks announced 1. 100 layoffs and also eliminated hundreds of unfilled positions. with Niccol describing the overhaul as a way “to create smaller. more nimble teams.” He said the company intended “to operate more efficiently. increase accountability. reduce complexity. and drive better integration.”
Then. in September 2025. Starbucks announced another round—900 non-retail job cuts—and said it would close about 1% of its North American coffeehouses.. In a public letter at the time. Niccol wrote that the goal was “for every coffeehouse to deliver a warm and welcoming space with a great atmosphere and a seat for every occasion. ” adding that the company identified locations where it couldn’t create the expected physical environment or where it didn’t see a path to financial performance.
For investors, the turnaround narrative has recently looked stronger than the headcount cuts might suggest. CNBC reported that in April, Starbucks posted its second straight quarter of traffic growth at U.S. locations, leading to a 7.1% increase in same-store sales.
Starbucks shares have also climbed this year. As of this writing, the stock (Nasdaq: SBUX) is hovering around $105—more than 26% higher since the year began—and up nearly 23% over the past 12 months.
For Starbucks employees affected by the corporate job cuts, the company’s progress may not feel like comfort.. But for the company. the latest layoffs are another step in an efficiency push tied directly to the “Back to Starbucks” plan—one that aims to reshape how it operates. trims costs. and reorganizes both people and office footprint.
Starbucks layoffs 300 corporate jobs Brian Niccol Back to Starbucks corporate support roles U.S. real estate consolidation efficiency measures SBUX shares