Starbucks sees decline in US, but when will it happen in the UK?


Starbucks Corporation is to close 600 company-operated US stores in the next year, a considerable hike from its previous plan for 100 closures. It’s a potent indicator of just how screwed the US economy is, but we can only wonder how long it will be before the company starts shutting up shop around the world, particularly in Britain, where many alcoholic drinks in pubs cost far less than Starbucks-branded concoctions.

In the US the cutbacks will impact on over 12,000 workers. Starbucks claims that most of the employees will be moved to nearby stores, and so a spokesperson did not ‘know exactly’ how many jobs will be lost. What a fortuitous expression of ignorance that is, given that job losses never make for news stories onto which a positive spin can be applied.

Read the full article.

Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008

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