Starbucks to close six Los Angeles stores, citing safety problems

Starbucks plans to shut six shops in Los Angeles and 10 different areas in different main cities due to what it says are issues of safety together with drug use and threatening conduct.

The Related Press and the Wall Avenue Journal reported that, along with the Los Angeles retailer closures, six shops within the firm’s hometown of Seattle are slated to shut together with two shops in Portland, Ore., and one every in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.

“After cautious consideration, we’re closing some shops in areas which have skilled a excessive quantity of difficult incidents that make it unsafe to proceed to function, to open new areas with safer situations,” Starbucks mentioned in a press release to the Instances.

The Los Angeles shops slated for closure are positioned at:

• Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Avenue.
• Santa Monica Boulevard and Westmount Drive.
• 1st and Los Angeles streets (contained in the DoubleTree lodge).
• Hollywood Boulevard and Western Avenue.
• Ocean Entrance Stroll and Moss Avenue.
• 2nd and San Pedro streets.

An worker on the Hollywood location declined to talk with The Instances.

Two of the Seattle shops have voted to unionize and one of many Portland areas petitioned to carry a union vote, the Related Press reported.

Starbucks officers have mentioned that the closures weren’t associated to unionization efforts.

“Opening and shutting shops is a part of our enterprise operations. That is actually rooted in protected and welcoming shops,” an organization official informed the Related Press.

Starbucks mentioned workers will have the ability to switch to different areas, the Related Press reported.

The announcement of the closures comes as firm higher-ups addressed worker issues of safety inside its shops.

“You’re seeing firsthand the challenges going through our communities — private security, racism, lack of entry to healthcare, a rising psychological well being disaster, rising drug use, and extra,” senior vice presidents of U.S. operations Debbie Stroud and Denise Nelson mentioned in a letter to employees members. “With shops in hundreds of communities throughout the nation, we all know these challenges can, at occasions, play out inside our shops too. We learn each incident report you file — it’s lots.”

Stroud and Nelson mentioned the corporate would implement an extended listing of measures, together with coaching in de-escalation, active-shooter conditions, psychological well being and first support, and shutting restrooms and even complete areas.