SEATTLE—Starbucks will lay off 252 employees at its Seattle Support Center as part of a broader restructuring that includes shifting some corporate operations to a new Southeast office in Nashville, Tenn., according to Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) notice filed with the Employment Security Department.
The notice dated May 15 states that the first separations at the facility at 2401 Utah Ave. S, Suite 800, will take place July 17. All layoffs are expected to be completed by Feb. 1, 2027. The coffee giant said affected employees have been given the required 60 days’ notice that their terminations will be permanent.
The workers notified to be laid off are not represented by a union and have no bumping rights, according to the WARN notice. The roles are primarily mid- and senior-level corporate support positions, including dozens of “Advisors,” numerous Business Analysis Managers, senior administrative assistants, analysts, category managers, coordinators and other finance, strategy and operations roles.
Starbucks described the layoffs as resulting from “the relocation or contracting out of certain of the employer’s operations or the partners’ positions.”
In April the Starbucks announced a $100 million investment in a new Southeast corporate office in Nashville that is expected to create up to 2,000 support jobs over five years. Officials have described the Nashville site as a complement to the global headquarters that will remain in Seattle.
Author: Mario Lotmore
