Starbucks to Close 400 Stores in Favor of Contactless Ordering

Source: Starbucks
As they adapt to business post-coronavirus, Starbucks has announced they will close approximately 400 locations and instead enhance “convenience-led formats” such as curbside pickup and mobile-ordering.
According to the Daily News, the store closings should happen within the next 18 months and “will come in tandem with an increase in options for customers to order their grande Frapuccinos from the convenience of their phones.”

Today, Starbucks announces a transformation of our stores. Building on the strength of digital customer relationships, we’ll expand convenience options due to COVID-19 and our evolving customer needs. https://t.co/WGvMTrZQp1

— Starbucks News (@StarbucksNews) June 10, 2020

“As we navigate through the COVID-19 crisis, we are accelerating our store transformation plans to address the realities of the current situation, while still providing a safe, familiar and convenient experience for our customers,” Kevin Johnson, the company’s CEO, said in a statement reported by Daily News.
“With the changes, Starbucks hopes to cater to evolving customer preferences, which now include more mobile ordering, more “contactless pick-up experiences” and fewer trips to physical stores, “all of which naturally allow for greater physical distancing,” reports the Daily News.