Starbucks to close 8,000 stores in US for racial tolerance training
LOS ANGELES — Starbucks Corp will close 8,000 companyowned US cafes for the afternoon on May 29, so 175,000 employees can undergo racial tolerance training in response to protests and calls for boycotts after the arrest of two black men waiting in a Philadelphia store.
The company said in the Tuesday announcement that it will also provide training materials for non-company workers at the roughly 6,000 licensed Starbucks cafes that will remain open in locations such as grocery stores and airports.
The announcement from world’s biggest coffee company came as it tries to cool tensions after the Philadelphia incident last week sparked accusations of racial profiling at the chain, which is the subject of a boycott campaign on social media.
The controversy is the biggest public relations test yet for new Starbucks Chief Executive Kevin Johnson, who already was fighting to boost traffic to Starbucks amid competition from coffee sellers ranging from hipster cafes to fast-food chains and convenience stores.
“While this is not limited to Starbucks, we’re committed to being a part of the solution,” said Johnson, a former technology executive who took the helm about a year ago.
Even if the threatened boycott does not materialize, the 8,000 temporary store closures will almost certainly have an impact on sales. Starbucks did not say how many hours the stores would be shuttered on May 29, but the afternoon is the slowest time for Starbucks’ business.
Starbucks is one of the most high-profile and beloved brands in the world and its CEO Howard Schultz was not one to shy away from difficult conversations over thorny issues such as gun control and Congressional gridlock.
However, US race relations have proved more challenging, even for a company that touts its diverse workforce — minorities account for 18 percent of Starbucks executives with the title of senior vice president or higher and 43 percent of employees overall.
For example, the company’s 2015 “Race Together” campaign to foster a conversation on the topic following the high-profile police shootings of several unarmed black men stirred an intense social media backlash.
Johnson has apologized for the “reprehensible” arrests of the two men in Philadelphia on Thursday and took personal responsibility for the incident.
Starbucks attorneys said Johnson and the men, who were released without charges, have “engaged in constructive discussions about this issue as well as what is happening in communities across the country”.