Starbucks Layoffs Among Biggest Ever for Company

Starbucks on Monday announced 1,100 layoffs, one of the biggest batches of cuts in company history, reports the Wall Street Journal. However, no baristas are losing their jobs—all of the positions being eliminated are in the corporate offices. The directive is part of new CEO Brian Niccol's plan to restructure the company and revive flagging sales. Starbucks employs about 211,000 people in the US, the vast majority of whom work in company-owned stores, notes Bloomberg.

"I recognize the news is difficult," Niccol said in his announcement. "We believe it's a necessary change to position Starbucks for future success." The company also will start enforcing a rule that employees at the VP level and above work at least three days a week at the Seattle or Toronto offices, per the Seattle Times. Niccol himself, however, appears to be unaffected by the rule: His hefty contract stipulates that he will work out of his home in Newport Beach, California, and travel to Seattle when necessary. (More Starbucks stories.)