MANCHESTER – Starbucks plans to close its Manchester Township shop as part of a wider wave of shutdowns that will affect dozens of stores across the United States, Canada and Europe as soon as this weekend.
The store at 420 Lacey Road, Suite 1, in Whiting is one of five New Jersey locations on the list of closures. One of the barista’s who works there posted on the Micromedia owned Manchester, Whiting, Lakehurst Chatter Facebook Group that the store was on the list.
The post reads “To anyone who would come to the Starbucks in Whiting; I’m a barista that works in the Starbucks in Whiting and wanted to let you know that there will no longer be a Starbucks after this Saturday as they are deciding to close our location “in order for the company to grow.” I know we had a lot of regular faces come in everyday, some even multiple times a day and figured one of us should be able to share this with you all. Thank you to any of you who were one of our regulars you guys really made our day seeing you come in all the time!”
For disclosure purposes, the writer of this article would frequent the location several times a week. Yes, an expensive habit – but you haven’t seen me trying to work a Keurig.
Some of the comments on the page weren’t so nice – some questioning why they would open a Starbucks in an area dominated by seniors and when there is a Wawa and Dunkin’ right up the street. Some criticized people for spending a fortune on a cup of coffee. Other comments were pleasant and wished the barista and the other staffers well.
According to several published reports in national media outlets, Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol announced the move in a letter to employees Thursday, noting that about 900 non-retail jobs will also be eliminated and many open roles will not be filled. The company said the Starbucks app will be updated Sunday to confirm which stores are shutting down.
Starbucks currently operates 348 stores across New Jersey. Niccol said a review revealed some stores were underperforming financially or not meeting the “community environment” the brand aims to deliver.
“Each year, we open and close coffeehouses for a variety of reasons, from financial performance to lease expirations,” Niccol wrote. “This is a more significant action that we understand will impact partners and customers. Our coffeehouses are centers of the community, and closing any location is difficult.”
The company expects to finish its fiscal year with 18,300 North American stores, down 124 from last year. Severance and support packages will be provided to affected employees, Starbucks said.
