Starbucks Ends 2025 With Hundreds Fewer Stores, More Changes Ahead in 2026

The coffee chain plans to launch a variety of new food and beverage offerings next year.

Published: 12/30/2025, 2:45:25 PM EST

Starbucks Ends 2025 With Hundreds Fewer Stores, More Changes Ahead in 2026 — A Starbucks store entrance sign is seen at Times Square in New York City on Feb. 25, 2025. (Shannon Stapleton/Reuters)

Starbucks closed out 2025 by shuttering more than 400 coffeehouses across the United States and Canada as part of a broad $1 billion restructuring plan to boost profitability, with more changes on the horizon in the new year.

Opened in 1971, Starbucks operates more than 40,000 stores worldwide.

However, the Seattle-based coffee giant previously said it would end the year with almost 18,300 locations across North America, down from the 18,734 open locations reported in June.

The overhaul included layoffs of roughly 900 corporate employees in September, resulting in approximately $150 million in severance costs, according to an SEC filing.

The company also cut its food and beverage menu offerings by 30 percent across its U.S. locations this year in an effort to streamline operations and make way for future innovation.

The many changes are part of an ambitious "Back to Starbucks" strategy to combat slumping sales and waning customer loyalty, which was introduced by CEO Brian Niccol shortly after he joined the company in late 2024.

"We identified coffeehouses where we’re unable to create the physical environment our customers and partners expect, or where we don’t see a path to financial performance, and these locations will be closed," Niccol said.

"In fiscal year 2026, we’ll grow the number of coffeehouses we operate as we continue to invest in our business. Over the next 12 months, we also plan to uplift more than 1,000 locations to introduce greater texture, warmth, and layered design."

NTD reached out to Starbucks for additional comment on store closures but did not receive a response by publication time.

Signs outside a Starbucks in New York City on January 14, 2025. (Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images) — Signs outside a Starbucks in New York City on January 14, 2025. Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images

Customers can expect to see a number of other changes in 2026.

On Dec. 29, the company announced a slew of new food and beverage items set to launch in February 2026, including two matcha drinks: the Iced Double Berry Matcha and the Iced Banana Bread Matcha.

Two Valentine's Day-themed drinks—the White Chocolate Strawberry Cream Cold Brew and the Strawberry Shortcake Frappuccino—will be available for a limited time that month.

Additionally, Starbucks plans to debut a bold new dark-roast coffee blend to mark the company's "five decades of roasting craft." The 1971 Roast, made from beans sourced from Colombia, Sumatra, and Brazil, will be available in both brewed and whole bean formats, with tasting notes of toasted sugar and rich walnut.

A variety of globally inspired baked goods will also land on the food menu next year, including the Dubai Chocolate Bite, Cookie Croissant Swirl, Yuzu Citrus Blossom, Berry Blondie, Strawberry Matcha Loaf, and Chocolate Pistachio Loaf.