Starbucks To Close 50 Stores, Shutter 550 Others Until March 2009

Seattle, WA (AHN) - Starbucks' initial list of 50 of 600 stores to be shuttered was released Tuesday.

According to the list, the 50 include eight outlets in California, seven in Minnesota, five in Texas, four in Alabama, and 26 others spread throughout Arkansas, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio and West Virginia.

The 50 will close by July 31. The 600 comprise 8 percent of the 7,250 outlets owned by Starbucks which the company decided to shutter due to poor sales. The closures would take place until March 2009, which would result to 12,000 Starbucks employees losing their jobs.

Along with the announcement of the first 50 store closings, Starbucks said it will introduce new drinks in the U.S. and Canada to be called Vivanno Nourishing Blends. There would be two flavors, the orange-mango-banana combination and the banana-chocolate mix.

One serving would be equivalent to 270 calories, made up of 15 grams protein and 5 grams fiber. Starbucks is not only cutting down the number of its outlets but also the calorie and fat contents on its menu. Most beverages would have only 2 percent milk content.