Starbucks’ 250 Store Closings Ripple Into WA State, Any in SE Region?

According to information released late last week (Thursday September 24) by the coffee giant, stores that are being closed that “do not deliver the coffeehouse experience and financial performance expected of the brand.”

 Starbucks Closures Felt in WA State

By the end of 2026, Starbucks plans to close 250 stores in North America, which is about 1 percent of their 18,000 locations.

How many in Washington State? According to data released by the company, six in our state will be shuttered.

    Are Any Eastern WA Stores Closing?

The six stores in WA state that will shut down include 3 in Seattle, 1 in Redmond, 1 in Vancouver, and the store on West Wellesley Ave. in Spokane. That location was part of the Shadle Shopping Center.

The reason? Officials said they examined the customers service experience and financial performance of their locations, and those that were felt to be significantly underperforming will be shuttered. However, they do plan to open new stores in other locations over the next year.

The company's net loss, when these actions are finished, will be minus 440 stores.

   Back To Starbucks Continues in the Company

About a year ago, they announced the launch of the new Back to Starbucks campaign, which is designed to recapture some of the market share they have lost over nearly a decade.

Still the largest coffee company in the world, Starbucks has seen its shares erode signficantly, we've seen that in the Columbia Basin with the growth of at least 3 different regional chains, as well as mom-and-pop operations that have captured consumer loyalty.

 READ More: Starbucks Moves Corporate to Nashville, Owner to Florida

 How many Stores Were Unioniized?

A few years ago, Starbucks Workers United (SWU) was created in an effort to unionize, but so far, no final contract has been approved with the 700 stores who chose to unionzie.  20 of the 250 that are closing are part of the SWU.

Of the 690 to 740 WA state locations (the number is fluid due to closures and openings) 38 are unionized.

Of the six WA closures, Starbucks has not said how many are part of the SWU.