Announcing the closures, Niccol was direct about the rationale on Starbucks’ Tuesday call with analysts. “We found this format to be overly transactional and lacking the warmth and human connection that defines our brand,” he said.
When reached for comment, Starbucks referred Fortune to the earnings report and Niccol’s comments on the analyst call.
For this story, Fortune used generative AI to help with an initial draft. An editor verified the accuracy of the information before publishing.
