Published: July 02, 2008 11:45 pm      

Not a latte of news on future of local Starbucks

GREENVILLE — Coffee lovers all over Hunt County probably have more jitters than usual, after the announcement this week that Starbucks will be closing 600 of its stores across the country.

They may want to take a time out and take another sip of their triple grande, non-fat, no-foam vanilla latte, or iced cappuccino, because as of Wednesday evening there was no word on whether the move will impact the Greenville Starbucks.

An official statement issued by a representative with Starbucks’ corporate office, who asked that her name not be used, indicated the stores identified for closure are spread across the entire country, with approximately 70 percent of them having been opened since fiscal 2006.

“Details for specific locations are still being finalized,” the statement said. “Store closures will begin in July 2008 and continue through March 2009.”

The statement said the company is not publishing a full list of the stores and that individual stores will be notified by their district manager and/or regional director approximately 30 days prior to the anticipated closure date.

One store employee told the Herald-Banner an official word, one way or the other, was due by the end of the day Wednesday, while a second employee later said all media inquiries were being directed to a corporate hotline.

The Greenville Starbucks, 3138 Interstate 30, opened last summer as part of the Kari-Beth shopping center.

Starbucks Corporation announced Tuesday a decision to close approximately 600 underperforming company-operated stores, with the timing of the closures dependent on finalizing third-party agreements.

In all, 19 percent of all U.S. company-operated stores that opened in the last two years.

About 12,000 workers, or 7 percent of Starbucks’ global work force, will be affected by the closings. Most of those employees will be moved to nearby stores, but she did not know exactly how many jobs will be lost. Starbucks estimated $8 million in severance costs.