Starbucks closes Ballina store; 700 jobs lost nationwide

Starbucks Coffee International’s decision to close 61 stores throughout Australia includes its Ballina outlet.

In a statement today, the company said: “Starbucks Coffee International, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Starbucks Coffee Company, today announced plans to restructure its business in Australia through a geographical refocus on three core cities and surrounding areas: Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.

“This decision will result in the closure of 61 locations throughout the country by August 3, 2008.

“We would like to thank all of our customers for your continued patronage and support during the past eight years.

“Starbucks has been a part of the Australian market since 2000.

“There are currently 84 Starbucks locations throughout the country, including Brisbane, Canberra, Gold Coast, Melbourne, South Australia, Sydney, and Tasmania.

“Twenty-three stores will remain open in Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney and surrounding areas to serve customers in those communities.”

Click here for the full list of Starbucks locations that are closing.

It is estimated that the closures will mean the loss of about 700 jobs nationwide.

The company has not announced how many jobs would be lost through the Ballina closure.

The announcement follows a decision by Starbucks last month to close 600 company-operated stores in the US, with the loss of up to 12,000 jobs.

The company blamed poor real estate decisions, coupled with the troubled US economy, for the closures.

Starbucks reported a third-quarter net loss of $US6.7 million ($7.1 million).

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