Starbucks Closing 600 US Stores - TIME

Starbucks Closing 600 US Stores
By AP/JESSICA MINTZ
http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1819499,00.html

(SEATTLE) — Starbucks Corp. said Tuesday it will close 600 company-operated stores in the next year, up dramatically from its previous plan for 100 closures, a sign the coffee shop operator is still feeling the pain from the faltering U.S. economy.

Starbucks said in a statement that 70% of the stores to be closed were opened after the start of 2006. The locations set to close include ones that "were not profitable and not projected to provide acceptable returns in the foreseeable future," it said.

About 12,000 workers will be affected by the closings, which are expected to take place over the next year, according to Valerie O'Neill, a spokeswoman for the company.

O'Neill said most of the employees will be moved to nearby stores, but she did not know exactly how many jobs will be lost.

The company predicted related charges will add up to $328 million to $348 million, but said that after income tax benefits and other changes, it expects to pay about $100 million.

Starbucks also cut the number of company-operated stores it will open in fiscal 2009 in half, to fewer than 200. The company did not adjust its plan to open fewer than 400 stores in 2010 and 2011.

In May, Starbucks said its second-quarter profit sank 28% as U.S. consumers cut back on visits in light of rising food and gas prices.

As of the end in March, there were 16,226 Starbucks stores around the world, including 7,257 company-operated stores in the U.S.

Shares of Seattle-based Starbucks jumped $1.02, or 6.5%, to $16.64 in after-hours trading after losing 12 cents to close at $15.62.

星巴克关闭600家门店

　　西雅图——本周二，星巴克宣布明年将关闭旗下600家直营店，该数字比之前的计划——100家要多得多。这标志着星巴克仍然在经受美国经济衰退的影响。
　　星巴克在声明中提到，在将被关闭的门店中有70%是2006年之后开始营业的。关闭的门店的店址多为“盈利性不佳或者在可预见的将来无法提供足够投资回报。”
　　星巴克发言人瓦勒里.奥尼尔表示，在明年将有12000名星巴克员工受到此事件的影响。
　　奥尼尔称，大部分员工将被分配到临近的门店，但有多少人将被解雇尚不清楚。
　　星巴克预计关店的相关费用将达到3.28到3.48亿美元，但在所得税和其他因素影像下，最终花费预计大约1亿美元。
　　星巴克还将2009年计划开设的门店数削减一半至少于200家。但并未调整2010年和2011年少于400家的新开店数。
　　今年五月，由于美国消费者受食品和汽油价格上扬的影响，星巴克的二季度财报表明其利润下滑了28%。
　　截至今年三月，星巴克在全球拥有16226家门店，其中包括美国本土的7257家公司直营店。
　　受该消息影响，星巴克的股价上涨了1.02美元，6.5%。收盘时股价为15.62美元，下跌12美分。