Thanks a latte.
Roughly 1,000 Starbucks will be renovated over the next year as the coffee chain looks to crate a more cozy space for customers.
“We’re refocusing on what has always set Starbucks apart — a welcoming coffeehouse where people gather, and where we serve the finest coffee, handcrafted by our skilled baristas,” Chief Executive Officer Brian Niccol said a year ago.
Those plans are now coming together, with 1,000 new-look stores scheduled for the end of 2026. The exact locations of the stores receiving the facelifts remains unclear.
Some coffeehouses in New York City and South Carolina have already been upgraded - and the chain promises that more stores will be set for renovation in the coming years.
The renovated stores won’t all look the exact same, but will have many of the same features. Here is what the coffee maker says visitors can expect:
- More comfortable seating: The store plans to create places where people can gather and relax with a cup of coffee.
- Thinking local: Starbucks will feature the history of the area and many of the local features and landmarks.
- Texture upgrades: Houses will now feature “warmer colors, textures and layers.”
- Mobile ordering enhancements: Redesigned stores will offer easier pick-up and plans to reduce congestion when waiting for an order.
- Other enhancements: Starbucks says more can be coming including layered elements into the design.
The new changes have already impressed, according to the company, with customers staying longer and visiting more often to get their caffeine fix.
“We sat in each store and asked ourselves, ‘What could we keep? What’s great about this? What’s the history of this place? What is this community like?’” Starbucks senior vice president of coffeehouse design and concepts Dawn Clark said. “… At that point it felt like we had a whole new approach to design, which was much more rooted in our heritage and will create an experience that is more richly sensorial.”
The changes could help the company’s financial picture. Starbucks has seen its stock price fall about 23 percent in the last six months. On Friday, the price was currently trading around $86 a share.
