The days of a Starbucks on every corner seem to be coming to an end.

For years, Starbucks staked its reputation on its ability to expand relentlessly in cities and suburbs. Comedian Lewis Black even riffed in 2001 that the “end of the universe” was in Houston, Texas, where he found one Starbucks directly across the street from another.

But both the universe – and Starbucks – have changed since then. More competition, inflation and consumer shifts have hurt Starbucks’ bottom line.

Starbucks announced Thursday that it will close 1% of its stores in North America this month. The closures – and layoffs of 900 corporate employees – are part of a US$1 billion restructuring plan. Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol said the stores it will shut weren’t “what our customers and partners expect” or weren’t making money.

Closing roughly 400 stores is like a rounding error for the coffee giant, which has more than 32,000 locations worldwide. And it still plans to open new stores next year. But the fact that Starbucks is shrinking right now represents something significant for its business.

Starbucks’ closures were driven by consumers who moved away from urban centers during the COVID-19 pandemic, said RJ Hottovy, an analyst at Placer.ai, a firm that tracks foot traffic. The chain is now shedding leases in areas that have notably less business.

Starbucks is also getting squeezed by independent coffee shops, growing chains like Blank Street Coffee and Blue Bottle, and drive-thru companies such as Dutch Bros.

And customers have balked at the chain’s prices. More than 70% of people blamed higher prices for why they planned to visit Starbucks less over the next 12 months, a recent UBS survey of 1,600 consumers found.

Starbucks’ turnaround has been “made more challenging by ongoing macroeconomic uncertainty and the rapid expansion of drive-thru-focused competitors,” Hottovy said.

Starbucks is attempting a comeback under Niccol after years of struggles, strategy missteps and a revolving door of CEOs.

Starbucks’ sales at stores open for at least a year have dropped for six straight quarters. Its stock has dropped roughly 9% so far this year.

Investors and analysts have a high view of Niccol, who previously revitalized Chipotle and Taco Bell. He took over at Starbucks in September 2024 and received nearly US$100 million in compensation last year.

Niccol is trying to reposition Starbucks once again as a “third place” between home and work. The company had veered too much into mobile orders and it “took a lot of the soul” out of the brand, he said.

Under Niccol, Starbucks has brought back its tradition of baristas doodling on cups in Sharpie pens; reinstated self-serve milk and sugar stations; cut 30% of the food and drink menu; ended its open-bathroom policy for non-paying customers; and laid off 1,100 corporate employees in February.

街头巷尾随处可见星巴克的日子，似乎正悄然走向终结。多年来，星巴克以其在城市与郊区疯狂扩张的能力闻名业界。喜剧演员刘易斯•布莱克2001年曾调侃：“宇宙的尽头在得克萨斯州休斯顿 —— 我在那儿看到一家星巴克正对着另一家星巴克”，这番话生动勾勒出其当年 “遍地开花” 的景象。

但自那时起，无论是市场环境还是星巴克自身，都已发生巨变。更激烈的行业竞争、持续的通货膨胀，以及消费者习惯的悄然转变，正侵蚀这家咖啡巨头的利润底线。

上周四，星巴克正式宣布，将于月底前关闭北美地区 1% 的门店。此次关店，连同裁撤 900 名企业员工的举措，均是其总规模达 10 亿美元重组计划的一部分。星巴克首席执行官布莱恩•尼科尔解释称，即将关闭的门店，要么 “未能达到顾客与合作伙伴的期望”，要么长期处于盈利困境。

对这家在全球拥有超 3.2 万家门店的企业而言，关闭约 400 家门店看似 “九牛一毛”，且公司仍计划明年开设新店。但此刻的收缩态势，无疑折射出其业务面临的深层问题。

客流分析机构 Placer.ai 的分析师 RJ•霍托维指出，星巴克此次关店的核心原因之一，是新冠疫情期间消费者大量搬离市中心，导致该区域部分门店客流锐减，而品牌正通过关闭这类租赁店面，优化整体布局。

与此同时，星巴克还面临着多方位的竞争挤压：一边是独立咖啡馆的个性化冲击，一边是 Blank Street Coffee、Blue Bottle 等新兴连锁品牌的分流，此外，Dutch Bros 等主打驾车外带模式的竞争对手不断抢占市场份额。

价格则成为另一重 “拦路虎”。瑞银近期针对 1600 名消费者的调查显示，超过 70% 的受访者表示，会因星巴克价格上涨而减少光顾频率。

“宏观经济的持续不确定性，加上以驾车外带为主的竞争对手快速扩张，让星巴克的转型之路面临更大挑战。” 霍托维说。

事实上，在经历多年的业务挣扎、战略失误与 CEO 频繁更迭后，星巴克正试图在尼科尔的带领下重振旗鼓。开业一年以上的星巴克门店销售额已连续六个季度下滑，其股价今年以来也下跌约9%。

投资者与分析师对尼科尔抱有期待 —— 毕竟，他曾成功重塑 Chipotle 与塔可钟两大连锁品牌。2024 年 9 月，尼科尔正式接手星巴克，仅去年一年便获得近1亿美元薪酬。

上任后，尼科尔推动星巴克重新定位 “第三空间”（即家与工作场所之外的社交场景）。他直言，公司此前过度侧重手机订单，导致品牌 “失去了许多灵魂特质”。

在这一战略下，星巴克推出多项调整举措：恢复咖啡师用马克笔在杯上手绘图案的传统，重新设立自助奶糖站，精简 30% 的餐食饮品菜单，禁止非付费顾客使用卫生间；今年 2 月，还曾裁撤 1100 名员工，进一步优化人员结构。(Translated by DeepSeek)