‘Unexpected’: Glencoe Starbucks shutters

As part of a corporate move, the Starbucks in Glencoe was one of approximately 200 locations nationwide to permanently close, signage on the location’s entrance confirms.

The Village of Glencoe also said in its weekly email that it was notified on Friday that the Starbucks at 347 Park Ave. would shutter on Saturday, Sept. 27, after about 25 years in business.

“We are saddened by this unexpected news,” the Village message says. “Starbucks has been a part of our business community for 25 years, and we appreciate how it has contributed to the vibrancy of our community during that time.”

The email adds that the Village is working with the site’s property owner on what may come next for the now-vacant storefronts in the heart of Glencoe’s business district.

The closure of the Glencoe Starbucks reportedly is part of the coffee giant’s “Back to Starbucks” strategy that CEO Brian Niccol described in a message to employees on Thursday, Sept. 25, according to reporting from USA Today.

In his note, which was posted to a Starbucks.com blog, Niccol announced the company would close approximately 1% of its stores “where we’re unable to create the physical environment our customers and partners expect, or where we don’t see a path to financial performance.”

Niccol says in the message that the company is “working hard” to offer transfers to employees of now-closed locations.

A corporate letter is posted on the door at 347 Park Ave. It reads in part, “We’ve made the incredibly difficult decision to close this Starbucks location. We know this may be hard to hear — because this isn’t just any store. It’s your coffeehouse, a place woven into your daily rhythm, where memories were made, and where meaningful connections with our partners grew over the years. We’re deeply grateful for the community that’s been built here.”

An unofficial but open Google document has been tracking the closures and lists 20 in Illinois. Most of them listed in the document are located in Chicago, and Glencoe is the only location in the northern suburbs.

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