Where is Beaumont coffee made and how does it fit the Starbucks map?

Starbucks will permanently close 16 US stores by the end of July, according to The Wall Street Journal. A leaked video shows former CEO Howard Schultz telling an internal meeting that closures are only the beginning. He said employees at listening sessions named personal safety their top concern, citing mental illness, homelessness, and crime, and some profitable stores closed over rising risk.

The chain has also sold or is reviewing operations in South Korea, Russia, and the UK. Some union members accuse Starbucks of using crime rates to mask union-busting, which the company denies. The timing matters: from where is Beaumont coffee made today to when did coffee come to Europe, the brand's global footprint is reshaping.

Starbucks, as the world's largest chain coffee brand, is undergoing a continuous contraction of its business. Since the beginning of this year, news has emerged of it selling off operations in South Korea and Russia, with its UK business also under consideration. The situation is no calmer in its home market, the United States: The Wall Street Journal reported that 16 stores will be permanently closed by the end of July. A video leaked on Twitter shows former CEO Howard Schultz stating at an internal meeting that store closures are only the beginning, and there will be more to come. Howard mentioned that employees at listening sessions reported personal safety as their top concern, involving issues such as mental illness, homelessness, and crime, and that some profitable stores have also been forced to close due to rising safety risks. Meanwhile, some union members accused Starbucks of using rising crime rates to mask union-busting activities, which Starbucks denies.

As the world's largest chain coffee brand, Starbucks is now facing a continuously shrinking business. Since the beginning of this year, news of it selling off overseas operations has appeared multiple times: South Korea, Russia, and the UK, which is still under careful consideration recently.

In its home base, the United States, Starbucks is also struggling. The Wall Street Journal reported that 16 US Starbucks stores will be permanently closed before the end of July. But that is far from enough. A netizen leaked a video on Twitter in which Howard says that Starbucks listened to its partners' needs and closed some stores, and this is only the beginning, and there will be many more. (We’re listening to our people and closing stores. And this is only beginning. There are going to be many more.)

According to the netizen who leaked the video, the footage was taken at an internal Starbucks company meeting, and Howard is clearly speaking to a group of employees.

Starbucks confirmed to the foreign media outlet Business Insider the authenticity of the above video, but did not disclose when or where the video was recorded. At the same time, Starbucks also did not specify which US stores might be closed.

Howard said that during listening sessions held over the past year, he heard many store employees express that personal safety has become their top concern, which shocked him, including issues related to mental illness, homelessness, and crime. Although some stores are still profitable, the increasing safety risks at these stores forced some of them to close.

Previously, Starbucks announced plans to close 16 stores before the end of July, citing the reason that a large number of safety issues made continued operation unsafe, leaving customers and store staff feeling unsafe.

Some US Starbucks employees said in interviews with the media outlet In These Times that open restrooms, a cozy lobby, and free water do indeed attract people who are homeless or experiencing a mental health crisis, and sometimes these matters even lead to arguments.

According to a report by the media outlet In These Times, among the 16 stores previously announced for closure, two Starbucks stores in Seattle have successfully joined a union, and one Starbucks store in Portland will hold a union vote in August.

Some Starbucks union members came forward to refute Starbucks' claims, saying that Starbucks is using rising crime rates to cover up its destruction of unionization activities, namely closing three unionized Starbucks stores without notifying employees in advance or negotiating with the union.

Starbucks responded by saying that it is not targeting Starbucks stores that support unions. The company also said that Starbucks gives store managers certain authority to close restrooms, reduce store seating, and take other measures to ensure employee safety. When these measures are insufficient to guarantee the personal safety of customers and employees, the store will be closed.

Image source: Internet

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The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.