Starbucks $1B 'Project Bloom' cuts 900 jobs

Starbucks has launched a confidential review called "Project Bloom" that is driving a roughly $1 billion restructuring under CEO Brian Niccol, marking the company’s second round of layoffs in under a year and the largest wave of cafe closures since 2008. The plan cuts about 900 corporate jobs and trims North America's footprint to about 18,300 stores — a net decline of roughly 1% (around 180 stores) — while numerous underperforming shops have already been shuttered. Local reporting identified at least 29 closures in California and 54 in New York City, many closed with little notice to employees or landlords. Unionized workers have picketed and criticized the timing amid contract negotiations, using the closures to press for union protections. The restructuring is presented as an effort to improve the in-store experience and restore profitability after mixed results, including a near-halving of quarterly profit, and has drawn legal scrutiny in New York over potential Fair Workweek and other labor-law violations.