Coffee giant Starbucks, which has long supported and targeted its marketing towards liberals, has announced its plan to shut locations and focus on restructuring after declining sales.
Breitbart reported that the coffee shop brand announced on Thursday that it will close low-performing stores, resulting in job losses for approximately 900 employees. The overhaul, coined the “Back to Starbucks” plan, will bring the brand back to its roots and focus on doing what it does best: serving coffee.
According to Breitbart, the plan is set to cost $1 billion, but plans to start growing its footprint in fiscal 2026.
CEO of the company, Brian Niccol explained, “I believe these steps are necessary to build a better, stronger, and more resilient Starbucks that deepens its impact on the world and creates more opportunities for our partners, suppliers, and the communities we serve.”
Over the years, Starbucks has been one of the major companies that has supported “woke” movements, such as the LGBTQ community. For a business that claimed not to be political, the company has often been perceived as being politically involved.
According to Business Insider, just recently, a customer slammed the company after a barista refused to write the full name of assassinated conservative Charlie Kirk on their cup as a way to honor him. Yet, Starbucks has no policies that restrict customers from using fake names, even if the name is political.
Business Insider reported that some baristas who worked there said that they “felt trapped between corporate policy, social media infamy, and, in some cases, their own personal beliefs when customers requested politically loaded names on their to-go cups.”
Starbucks’ restructuring is an example of how business leaders who focus more on optics and trying not to offend anyone by running a business can end up doing worse profit-wise. Since President Trump‘s return to office, more major corporations have pulled away from “woke brand activism” by cutting DEI initiatives, corporate pride sponsorships, and other forms of support. For example, earlier in the year, Anheuser-Busch, the parent company of Budweiser, ended its 30-year run as lead sponsor of St. Louis’ PrideFest.
Starbucks is just one example following President Trump’s lead of rooting out the “woke” agenda.
