The American coffee chain Starbucks intends to eliminate an unspecified number of administrative positions as part of a plan to restructure the chain’s workforce.
In a letter addressed to Starbucks workers last Friday, Chairman and CEO Brian Nicol said that the chain needs to ensure that there is a clear leader who can be held accountable and able to make decisions in each of its actions.
Nicole added that the chain needs to reduce the complexities and barriers in its administrative structure, and pointed out that the details of the delisting plan will be announced in early March, but it will not affect workers in Starbucks cafes.
He continued in his message, “I did not make this decision easily. I appreciate that this will create a state of uncertainty and cause anxiety now and later. I would like to be transparent about our progress and plans and for you to know what is being done in this regard directly from me.”
Starbucks has about 16,000 people working in corporate support, roasting, distribution, warehousing, and branch development jobs, including 10,000 in the United States and 6,000 in other countries.
The company said that the delisting process would take place in corporate support jobs, but it did not reveal the number of workers in these jobs.
The total number of workers at Starbucks worldwide is approximately 361,000 workers.
Starbucks recorded a decline in its results over the past year due to the decline in consumer spending in the United States and the trend of consumers in China towards lower-priced competing cafes.
Starbucks is among the brands that suffered losses as a result of pressure from boycott campaigns around the world after the company’s position appeared to support Israel in its war on Gaza, which the chain tried to deny.
Last year, the global chain witnessed its workers go on strikes in hundreds of branches in the United States, to protest issues of wages, employment, and shift schedules.
