Several NJ Starbucks Stores Closing, New List Says

Starbucks is closing dozens of stores in the U.S., Europe and Canada as soon as this weekend. Five of those will be in New Jersey.

CEO Brian Niccol wrote a letter to employees Thursday that didn’t specify which stores will be shuttered. The company told USA Today that the Starbucks app would be updated on Sunday to reflect which locations will shut down.

Niccol also said about 900 non-retail partner roles will be eliminated and many open positions will be closed.

Starbucks has 348 locations in New Jersey.

Much online speculation is underway regarding the locations set for closure. USA Today cited a Google sheet with more than 500 entries of likely closures. This sheet includes five New Jersey locations that are believed to be targeted:

• 1616 Bergen Blvd, Fort Lee
• 2215 Rte 4 E, Fort Lee
• 55 Riverwalk Pl, West New York
• 40 W Park Pl, Morristown
• 420 Lacey Rd Suite 1, Manchester Township

Starbucks said Thursday that it expects to end its fiscal year with 18,300 stores in North America, down 124 from last year.

Niccol, a turnaround specialist who was brought to Starbucks a year ago to give the brand a jolt, said in the letter that a review of Starbucks locations revealed that many are falling short of financial performance targets or are failing to create the environment customers expect.

“Each year, we open and close coffeehouses for a variety of reasons, from financial performance to lease expirations,” Niccol wrote. “This is a more significant action that we understand will impact partners and customers. Our coffeehouses are centers of the community, and closing any location is difficult.”

Starbucks said it will offer severance and support packages for affected employees