Starbucks Is Betting $100 Million on Nashville. Now 120 Seattle Workers Face Layoffs
Starbucks is opening a new regional corporate office in Music City. Not everyone is willing to relocate.
It appears not everyone wants to move to Nashville.
In its latest switch, Starbucks is laying off more than 220 corporate workers. According to reports, about half of the job cuts are tied to workers’ refusal to relocate to Nashville from Seattle, where the company is headquartered.
The layoffs were disclosed in a document filed Thursday with Washington’s Employment Security Department. About 120 of the layoffs were a result of workers’ decision not to move to Nashville, and about 104 positions were cut because of previously-announced organizational changes, the document stated.
Some of the employees were offered the opportunity
Some of the employees “were offered the opportunity to continue their employment by transferring to the Starbucks office located in Nashville, Tennessee, but declined the opportunity to relocate,” Sara Kelly, Starbucks executive vice president and chief partner officer, said in the filing.
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In April, the coffee brand, which is currently led by CEO Brian Niccol, announced plans to build a new, $100 million regional corporate office in Nashville, where it will employ 2,000 corporate workers.
The location decision was tied in part to the proximity of it to key suppliers and access to regional talent. At the time of the announcement, company executives also pointed to the business’s growth in the South and East as an important factor in the decision.
Beyond the most recent layoffs, Starbucks announced more than 300 layoffs in May, which were also disclosed in filed notices.
Source: www.inc.com
