Starbucks will cut 300 corporate roles and close four regional offices in the US in May 2026, triggering $400 million in restructuring charges as the coffee company accelerates cost reductions alongside its ongoing turnaround programme.

Reuters reported that the job losses form the third wave of white-collar reductions since 2025, following 900 cuts in September and a further 1,100 announced in early 2025, as the company consolidates its US regional support structure. The closures will affect offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas and Burbank, California, while the company maintains that coffeehouse operations will not be impacted. It also signalled further reductions could follow internationally as it reviews its overseas support organisation.

The latest restructuring comes as Starbucks continues to report improving sales performance but persistent pressure on profitability. Executives have credited higher store traffic to renovations, expanded barista staffing and menu changes under chief executive Brian Niccol’s turnaround programme, which the company has branded “Back to Starbucks”.

Reuters said Starbucks expects $120 million in severance costs and a $280 million write-down linked to real estate assets, including reserve and roastery locations and selected non-retail facilities. The company has also faced rising operating costs, with investment in store labour contributing to margin compression even as revenue growth has strengthened in recent quarters.

The group employed about 9,000 US corporate staff and 5,000 overseas at the end of its last fiscal year, alongside roughly 380,000 store workers globally. It is also expanding its US footprint, including a new support office in Nashville, Tennessee, which is expected to house around 2,000 employees over time, according to company disclosures.

Starbucks said in a statement that it was taking further action under its turnaround strategy and working “to return the company to durable, profitable growth”. The restructuring comes as investor scrutiny intensifies over the balance between cost control and investment-led recovery.

Former chief executive Howard Schultz criticised the company’s shift in corporate footprint, writing in a Wall Street Journal column that “policy and political rhetoric that demonise businesses” were influencing decisions affecting cities such as Seattle, where Starbucks is headquartered.

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