Starbucks shut for race training

STARBUCKS will close more than 8,000 US stores for an afternoon of racial bias training after the arrest of two black men in a Philadelphia branch triggered claims of discrimination.

Almost 175,000 workers will go through training on May 29, the company announced yesterday as footage of the arrest made headlines. Kevin Johnson, the Starbucks CEO, said the move was just “one step” in the company’s “journey” to improve and understand “what we did wrong”.

Footage of the arrest, taken by other customers, went viral and prompted a slew of negative headlines for the company. The two black men had been waiting for a friend when they were asked to leave by staff. There are re- ports that one or both of the men asked to use the restroom before buying anything. An employee called the police and the pair were arrested and held for eight hours before being released with no charge, according to their attorney.

The incident triggered protests, with protesters holding posters saying “shame on you Starbucks”.