Starbucks to cut 1,100 corporate roles in CEO Niccol’s turnaround push

“We will continue to hire for priority positions that fit with our new support structure and add capability and capacity we need,” Niccol said, adding the move would not affect in-store teams or the investments Starbucks is making in-store hours.

Starbucks employs about 211,000 people in the US and around 150,000 employees internationally, according to its 2024 report.

“Relative to the last major layoff in 2018, I believe the level is significant,” said Jim Sanderson, analyst at NorthCoast Research.

In 2018, Starbucks planned to lay off 350 global corporate employees as part of a restructuring plan under then-CEO Kevin Johnson.

Sanderson, however, noted it would be necessary to understand which segments or divisions in the corporation will be impacted by the layoffs and how this fits within Starbucks’ global long-term turnaround strategy.

Separately, Starbucks said it was removing a few “less popular beverages” from the menu, including several frappuccino blended beverages and the white hot chocolate, in line with Niccol’s push to simplify its menu.