Starbucks Closing 250 Stores in North America (Connecting the Dots: Brian Niccol, Starbucks, Unions, America Votes, Planned Unemployment, The Commercial Club of Chicago & The Carnegie/Soros Network)
Newsmax.com
Thursday,
24 September 2026 09:08 AM EDT
https://www.newsmax.com/finance/streettalk/starbucks-store-closing/2026/09/24/id/1270520/
Starbucks
plans to close 250 North American stores later this week.
It is
the second big round of store closures under Starbucks Chairman and CEO Brian
Niccol, who joined
the company in 2024. Last September, Starbucks closed 627 stores in North
America and Europe and laid off 900 non-retail employees.
In a
letter to employees, Starbucks Chief Operating Officer Mike Grams said the
locations targeted either aren't delivering acceptable financial results or
can't provide the kind of experience that Starbucks wants for customers and
employees.
The
company didn't say Thursday which coffeehouses will close or how many are
located in the U.S. It also didn't say how many of the affected coffeehouses
are unionized.
More
than 700 U.S. Starbucks stores have voted to unionize since late 2021, but
Starbucks doesn't support the unionization
effort and the union
and the company have yet to reach a labor agreement.
Grams
said Starbucks is continuing to retrofit its North American coffeehouses to
make them cozier and more inviting. The company expects 1,500 stores will be
retrofitted by Sept. 30, which is the end of Starbucks' fiscal year.
“This
progress has given us a clearer view of the performance of every coffeehouse,”
Grams said in his letter. “While most are benefiting from this overall
momentum, some coffeehouses continue to underperform despite the hard work and
commitment of all of you.”
Grams
said Starbucks is still committed to growing its store count in North America.
Starbucks
said it will transfer employees to other stores if possible or provide
severance support if it's not able to place an employee in another location.
In May,
Starbucks laid off an
additional 300 corporate employees and closed some underused U.S. offices.
Starbucks
shares rose less than 1% Thursday in premarket trading.
Brian
R. Niccol
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Niccol
Brian R. Niccol (born
1974) is an American businessman and the chairman and chief executive officer
of Starbucks, a role which he started on September 9, 2024, replacing Laxman
Narasimhan.
Early
life and education
Niccol
is a native of Philadelphia.[4] He went to Miami University to study engineering. However, a
marketing class piqued his interest, causing him to take several elective
courses in business.[5] Niccol is a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity.
Niccol graduated from Miami University in 1996. He also received an MBA from
the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business in 2003.
Starbucks
Unions
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starbucks_unions
As of
June 2026, over 15,000 workers at 706 Starbucks stores in the United States had voted to
unionize with Workers United.
Workers
United
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Workers_United
Workers United is an
American and Canadian labor union which represents about 86,000 workers in the
apparel, textile, commercial laundry, distribution, food service, hospitality,
fitness and non-profit industries.[4][5] It was established in its current form
in 2009 and is affiliated with the Service Employees
International Union (SEIU).
Connecting
the Dots:
Brian R. Niccol is the chairman and chief
executive officer of Starbucks, went to Miami
University and received an MBA from the University of Chicago's Booth
School of Business.
Sheryl K.
Sandberg was a director at the Starbucks Corporation and a
trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).
Donna E. Shalala was
the president of the University of Miami and a fellow at the Brookings
Institution (think tank).
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Brookings
Institution (think tank).
George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to
Promote Open Society.
Carnegie
Corporation of New York was a funder for the Brookings Institution
(think tank) and a supporter for the American Society for Muslim
Advancement.
Andrew Carnegie
was the founder of the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
Cameron F. Kerry
is a fellow at the Brookings Institution (think tank), John F.
Kerry’s brother and a senior counsel at Sidley Austin LLP.
Newton N. Minow
was an honorary trustee at the Carnegie Corporation of New York, a
senior counsel at Sidley Austin LLP and a member of the Commercial
Club of Chicago.
Michelle Obama
was a lawyer at Sidley Austin LLP.
Barack Obama was an
intern at Sidley Austin LLP.
R. Eden Martin was counsel at Sidley Austin LLP and is the president of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
John P. Amboian is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago
and a council member for the University of Chicago Booth School of
Business.
Norman R. Bobins is
a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and a council member for
the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
John P. Calamos
Sr. is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and a
council member for the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Dennis H.
Chookaszian is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago
and a council member for the University of Chicago Booth School of
Business.
James R.
Donnelley is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago
and a council member for the University of Chicago Booth School of
Business.
James J. Drury
III is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and a
council member for the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
John A. Edwardson is
a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and a council member for
the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Lawrence I. Field is
a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and a council member for
the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
David W. Fox is
a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and a council member for
the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Cheryl A. Francis is
a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and a council member for
the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
John P. Gould is
a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and a professor at
the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Dennis J. Keller is
a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and a council member for
the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
William T. Lynch
Jr. is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and a
council member for the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Joseph D.
Mansueto is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and
a council member for the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Robert C.
McCormack is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago
and a council member for the University of Chicago Booth School of
Business.
Paul E. Purcell is
a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and a council member for
the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Fred G.
Steingraber is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago
and a council member for the University of Chicago Booth School of
Business.
David J. Vitale is
a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and a council member for
the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Clifford S.
Asness is a council member for the University of Chicago Booth
School of Business and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
Mellody L. Hobson is
a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, a director at the Starbucks
Corporation, the chairman for DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc., William
W. Bradley was her mentor and was a trustee at the Sundance
Institute.
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Sundance
Institute and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (think
tank).
George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote
Open Society and is the founder & chairman for the Open Society
Foundations.
Open Society Foundations was a funder for the Carnegie Endowment for
International Peace (think tank).
Andrew Carnegie
was the founder of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (think
tank) and the founder of the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
William W. Bradley is a
trustee at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (think tank),
a director at the Starbucks Corporation and Mellody L.
Hobson’s mentor.
Morton H. Halperin served with the Carnegie
Endowment for International Peace (think tank), is a senior adviser
for the Soros Open Society Foundations, Mark
Halperin’s father and a director at the ONE Campaign.
Mark Halperin is
Morton H. Halperin’s son, In 2010, Halperin
joined MSNBC (MS NOW), becoming the
senior political analyst and a contributor, the founding editor for Bloomberg
Politics.
Harold E. Ford Jr. was
an overseer at the International Rescue Committee and is a
political commentator at MSNBC (MS NOW).
Bloomberg
Politics is a division of Bloomberg LP.
Michael R.
Bloomberg is the founder of Bloomberg LP and an advocate
for the ONE Campaign.
Michelle Obama was
an advocate for the ONE Campaign.
International
Rescue Committee is a partner with the ONE Campaign.
Clifford S.
Asness is a director at the International Rescue Committee,
a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and was a council member
for the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the International
Rescue Committee and the Sundance Institute.
George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote
Open Society.
International
Rescue Committee is a partner with the ONE Campaign.
Thomas E. Freston is
the chairman for the ONE Campaign and a director at DreamWorks
Animation SKG Inc.
Mellody L. Hobson is the chairman for DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc., a director at the Starbucks Corporation, a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, William W. Bradley was her mentor and was a trustee at the Sundance Institute.
John P. Amboian is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago
and a council member for the University of Chicago Booth School of
Business.
Norman R. Bobins is
a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and a council member for
the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
John P. Calamos
Sr. is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and a
council member for the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Dennis H.
Chookaszian is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago
and a council member for the University of Chicago Booth School of
Business.
James R.
Donnelley is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago
and a council member for the University of Chicago Booth School of
Business.
James J. Drury
III is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and a
council member for the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
John A. Edwardson is
a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and a council member for
the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Lawrence I. Field is
a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and a council member for
the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
David W. Fox is
a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and a council member for
the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Cheryl A. Francis is
a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and a council member for
the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
John P. Gould is
a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and a professor at
the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Dennis J. Keller is
a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and a council member for
the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
William T. Lynch
Jr. is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and a
council member for the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Joseph D.
Mansueto is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and
a council member for the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Robert C.
McCormack is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago
and a council member for the University of Chicago Booth School of
Business.
Paul E. Purcell is
a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and a council member for
the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Fred G.
Steingraber is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago
and a council member for the University of Chicago Booth School of
Business.
David J. Vitale is
a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and a council member for
the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Clifford S.
Asness is a council member for the University of Chicago Booth
School of Business and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
University
of Chicago Booth School of Business is a graduate school at the University of
Chicago.
Brian R. Niccol
received an MBA from the University of Chicago's Booth School of
Business, is the chairman
and chief executive officer of Starbucks and went to Miami University.
Sheryl K.
Sandberg was a director at the Starbucks Corporation and a
trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).
Donna E. Shalala was
the president of the University of Miami and a fellow at the Brookings
Institution (think tank).
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Brookings
Institution (think tank).
George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote
Open Society.
Carnegie
Corporation of New York was a funder for the Brookings Institution
(think tank) and a supporter for the American Society for Muslim
Advancement.
Andrew Carnegie was the founder of the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
Teresa Heinz Kerry is an honorary trustee at the Brookings
Institution (think tank), Cameron F. Kerry’s sister-in-law and
married to John F. Kerry.
Cameron F. Kerry is
a fellow at the Brookings Institution (think tank), Teresa
Heinz Kerry’s brother-in-law, John F. Kerry’s brother and a
senior counsel at Sidley Austin LLP.
Cyrus
F. Freidheim Jr. is an honorary trustee at the Brookings
Institution (think tank) and a member of the Commercial Club of
Chicago.
Newton N. Minow is
a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and a senior counsel
at Sidley Austin LLP.
Barack Obama was
an intern at Sidley Austin LLP.
Michelle Obama was
a lawyer at Sidley Austin LLP and an advocate for the ONE
Campaign.
Thomas A. Cole is
a partner at Sidley Austin LLP, a member of the Commercial
Club of Chicago and a trustee at the University of Chicago.
University
of Chicago Booth School of Business is a graduate school at the University of
Chicago.
Brian R. Niccol
received an MBA from
the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business, is the chairman
and chief executive officer of Starbucks and went to Miami University.
Sheryl K.
Sandberg was a director at the Starbucks Corporation and a
trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).
Donna E. Shalala was
the president of the University of Miami and a fellow at the Brookings
Institution (think tank).
Carnegie
Corporation of New York was a funder for the Brookings Institution
(think tank) and a supporter for the American Society for Muslim
Advancement.
Andrew Carnegie
was the founder of the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Brookings
Institution (think tank) and the Sundance Institute.
George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote
Open Society.
Mellody L. Hobson was
a trustee at the Sundance Institute, is the chairman for DreamWorks
Animation SKG Inc., a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, a
director at the Starbucks Corporation and William W. Bradley
was her mentor.
Lyn Davis Lear is
a trustee at the Sundance Institute and married to Norman
Lear.
Norman Lear is
married to Lyn Davis Lear and a director at People for the
American Way.
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the People
for the American Way.
George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to
Promote Open Society and is the founder & chairman for the Open
Society Foundations.
Open Society Foundations was a funder for the Planned
Parenthood Federation of America.
People
for the American Way is a national partner with America Votes.
Cecile Richards was
the founder & president of America Votes, the president of
the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and
married to Kirk Adams.
Kirk Adams was
married to Cecile Richards, an organizing director for the AFL-CIO
and is an accomplished executive vice president at the Service Employees
International Union (SEIU).
AFL-CIO is a national
partner with America Votes.
Service
Employees International Union (SEIU) is a national partner with America
Votes.
Workers
United
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Workers_United
Workers United is an
American and Canadian labor union which represents about 86,000 workers in the
apparel, textile, commercial laundry, distribution, food service, hospitality,
fitness and non-profit industries.[4][5] It was established in its current form
in 2009 and is affiliated with the Service Employees
International Union (SEIU).
Starbucks
Unions
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starbucks_unions
As of
June 2026, over 15,000 workers at 706 Starbucks stores in the United States had voted to
unionize with Workers United.
Service
Employees International Union (SEIU) is a national partner with America
Votes.
Planned
Parenthood Action Fund is a national partner with America Votes.
Cecile Richards
was the founder & president of America Votes the president of the Planned
Parenthood Action Fund and the president of the Planned Parenthood
Federation of America.
Open Society Foundations was a funder for the Planned
Parenthood Federation of America.
George Soros is the founder & chairman for the Open Society
Foundations and a member of the Bretton Woods Committee.
Martin Frost is a member of the Bretton Woods Committee and was the president for America Votes.
AFL-CIO is a national partner with America Votes.
American
Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees is a national partner
with America Votes.
Association
of Trial Lawyers of America is a national partner with America Votes.
EMILY's List is a
national partner with America Votes.
International
Brotherhood of Electrical Workers is a national partner with America
Votes.
International
Brotherhood of Teamsters is a national partner with America Votes.
League
of Conservation Voters is a national partner with America Votes.
League of
Young Voters is a national partner with America Votes.
National
Council of La Raza is a national partner with America Votes.
National Education Association is a national partner with America Votes.
Progressive Majority is a national partner with America Votes.
Sierra Club is a
national partner with America Votes.
United
Food and Commercial Workers International Union is a national partner with America
Votes.
VoteVets is a
national partner with America Votes.
Working America
is a national partner with America Votes.
People
for the American Way is a national partner with America Votes.
Norman Lear is
a director at People for the American Way and married to Lyn
Davis Lear.
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the People
for the American Way and the Sundance Institute.
George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to
Promote Open Society.
Lyn Davis Lear is
a trustee at the Sundance Institute and married to Norman
Lear.
Mellody L. Hobson was
a trustee at the Sundance Institute and is a director at the Starbucks
Corporation.
Kenneth D. Cole is
a trustee at the Sundance Institute and married to Maria
Cuomo Cole.
Maria Cuomo Cole is
married to Kenneth D. Cole and a trustee at the Brady
Center to Prevent Gun Violence.
Brady
Center to Prevent Gun Violence is a “Gun Safety, Gun Control”
group for guns.
Brady
Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence is a national partner with the America
Votes.
Service
Employees International Union (SEIU) is a national partner with America
Votes.
Workers
United
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Workers_United
Workers United is an
American and Canadian labor union which represents about 86,000 workers in the
apparel, textile, commercial laundry, distribution, food service, hospitality,
fitness and non-profit industries.[4][5] It was established in its current form
in 2009 and is affiliated with the Service Employees
International Union (SEIU).
Starbucks
Unions
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starbucks_unions
As of
June 2026, over 15,000 workers at 706 Starbucks stores in the United States had voted to
unionize with Workers United.
Resources:
Past Research
Starbucks
Workers Begin Strikes That Could Spread to Hundreds of US Stores (Connecting
the Dots: Starbucks, Amazon & Soros Funding, All Networking) (Past Research on Starbucks)
Sunday,
December 22, 2024
https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2024/12/starbucks-workers-begin-strikes-that.html
PepsiCo
to Increase Prices on Some Chips, Sodas (Connecting the Dots: PepsiCo, Price
Control, Charlie Kirk Shooting, President Trump Shooting in Butler & The
Carnegie/Soros Network) (Past Research on the Carnegie
Corporation of New York)
https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2026/09/pepsico-to-increase-prices-on-some.html
Powell:
Fed to Stay on Hold Amid Economic Uncertainty (Connecting the Dots: The
Commercial Club of Chicago, The University of Chicago’s Booth School of
Business, The Economic Club of Washington, The Carlyle Group, Jerome Powell,
The Federal Reserve, The Economist & Soros Funding, All Networking) (Past Research on the University of Chicago’s Booth School
of Business)
Monday,
August 4, 2025
https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2025/08/powell-fed-to-stay-on-hold-amid.html
Hollywood
tried to prep Biden with mock debate, ended in ‘disaster’ (Connecting the Dots:
Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Mellody L. Hobson, DreamWorks Animation
SKG Inc, Robert Redford & Soros Funding, All Networking) (Past Research on Mellody L. Hobson)
Tuesday,
April 22, 2025
https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2025/04/hollywood-tried-to-prep-biden-with-mock.html
Dr.
Morton Halperin – J Street Education Fund (Connecting the Dots: J Street,
Morton Halperin, The Open Society Foundations, Newsmax’s Mark Halperin, Rhonda
(Randi) Weingarten, The ONE Campaign, MSNBC, ACLU, The Carnegie & Soros
Funding) (Past Research on Morton Halperin & the
ONE Campaign)
Tuesday,
June 17, 2025
https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2025/06/dr-morton-halperin-j-street-education.html
2025
Sundance Film Festival (Connecting the Dots: Sundance Film Festival, Robert
Redford, The Sundance Institute, America Votes, Mikhail Gorbachev, The Green
Cross International & Soros Funding, All Networking) (Past Research on the Sundance Institute, America Votes
& the People for the American Way)
Sunday,
March 2, 2025
https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2025/03/2025-sundance-film-festival-connecting.html
America
Votes (Past Research on America Votes)
Wednesday,
November 5, 2014
https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2014/11/america-votes.html
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