SEATTLE—Starbucks will lay off 252 employees at its Seattle Support Center and remote employees from across the country 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.
In a statement to the Lynnwood Times on the elimination of approximately 300 U.S. support roles, a spokesman for Starbucks shared, “leaders have taken a hard look at their respective functions to further sharpen focus, prioritize work, reduce complexity, and lower costs. We are also reviewing our international support organization as we focus on being a world-class licensor and expect additional role impacts outside the U.S.”
He added, “We are streamlining our real estate footprint including consolidating U.S. regional support office space and taking several other steps with leases and lease commitments.”
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.
Editor’s Note: Article updated 10 p.m., May 19, 2026, to include a statement from Starbuck on its restructuring efforts.
Author: Mario Lotmore
