SEATTLE — Starbucks Corp. Chief Executive Officer Howard Schultz said in a video leaked Monday that more store closings are pending, just five days after the coffee giant confirmed the shuttering of 16 locations due to ongoing safety concerns.
“This is just the beginning. There are going to be many more,” Schultz said in the video, in which he appears to be addressing a group of employees, Business Insider reported.
Starbucks has previously confirmed plans to close locations in Portland, Oregon; Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Seattle and Washington.
[ Starbucks closing 16 stores nationwide, citing safety concerns ]
Starbucks confirmed the authenticity of the footage to Insider but declined to say when or where the video was recorded. The company also declined to detail which other stores face closure.
The video, posted on Twitter, also shows Schultz explaining the closures target stores deemed “not profitable” due to an uptick in what Bloomberg called “safety-related problems,” including crime, homelessness and drug use in store bathrooms.
“It has shocked me that one of the primary concerns that our retail partners have is their own personal safety,” Schultz said in the video.