COLUMBUS — Starbucks plans to close approximately 250 coffeehouses across North America this week, including at least one confirmed location in Ohio, as the company presses ahead with a turnaround plan.
In a message to employees on Sept. 24, Starbucks Chief Operating Officer Mike Grams said the closures represent about 1 percent of the chain’s more than 18,000 North American locations. The affected stores will shut their doors later this week. The company has not released a full list of the locations slated to close.
As of Sept. 24, the only Ohio location publicly identified was a store at 1014 N. High St. in Columbus, according to KGW 8 in Portland. More Ohio closures could be announced as the company works through the list.
Grams said the decision is part of the company’s “Back to Starbucks” turnaround strategy. The chain said it identified stores that could not consistently deliver the experience it wants for customers and employees or that lacked a path to acceptable financial performance.
Despite the downsizing, Starbucks said its North American business has returned to strong growth, citing faster service, coffeehouse upgrades and its new “Green Apron Service” standard.
The closures follow a difficult 2025 for the company, when it cut more than 900 jobs and closed hundreds of coffeehouses — including three pickup-only locations in Ohio at Ohio State University, Miami University and in Hamilton — as part of a $1 billion restructuring effort.
