Starbucks to close stores, lay off 900 workers as part of turnaround plan

WASHINGTON — Starbucks is laying off around 900 non-retail employees and closing some U.S. and Canadian stores as it focuses more of its resources on a turnaround .

The Seattle coffee giant will notify employees whose positions are being eliminated early Friday and said that it plans to close an undetermined number of stores in North America in the coming days.

A review of Starbucks locations revealed that many are falling short of financial performance targets or are failing to create the environment customers expect, according to a letter sent by Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol on Thursday.

“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