Caribou Coffee to Close, Convert Chicago Locations

Caribou Coffee locations throughout the city will either be closed or converted into a Peet's Coffee & Tea, Caribou representatives announced Monday. 

The closest shop to Lincoln Square, at 3240 N. Ashland Ave., will stay open for the rest of the year and then be converted into a Peet's Coffee and Tea, employees said. 

But employees at the chain's Clark Street location learned Friday their store would close the following week. That shop was tagged as an "underperforming store," and is set to close Sunday at noon. 

"It's all been very sudden," said one barista, who declined to give her name. 

The closure is part of a larger movement for the company—80 of the nation's struggling stores will close along with the Clark Street one and 88 others will be converted to Peet's Coffee & Tea locations, according to company representatives. 

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That conversion will take anywhere from a year to 18 months, said a Caribou spokeswoman on Monday.

"Going forward, Caribou Coffee will be made up of 468 locations across Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Western Wisconsin, Iowa, Kansas, North Carolina, Denver, and ten international markets," Caribou representatives said in a written statement. 

The Minnesota-based chain currently has 18 stores in Chicago, most of which are likely to close permanently under the reorganization, employees said. There are 66 Illinois stores, overall. 

Representatives thanked dedicated Caribou fans Monday for their support over the years.

"While the decisions we’ve made have been difficult for our team in Minneapolis, as well as our team members across the country and our guests and fans everywhere, we are working to make this transition as seamless as possible for the Caribou community," they said.