Two Starbucks locations in the Richmond area have closed after the company announced it would close 250 stores nationwide.
The Starbucks in the 400 N. Robinson St. has closed, as has the Starbucks in Short Pump at 11735 W. Broad St.
The location in the Fan had been open for 20 years.
Last week, Starbucks revealed in a regulatory filing that it would close 250 underperforming coffeehouses in North America. Starbucks did not provide a list of affected stores, but Fast Company published a list of closures. No stores in Hampton Roads are included in that list. The other closures in the state are in Charlottesville and Harrisonburg, according to Fast Company.
Charlie Diradour, of Lion’s Paw Development, owns the building on Robinson Street where Starbucks was closed. He said that he’s had six separate inquiries from potential tenants about leasing the space.
Diradour said he has abandoned plans to redevelop the Fan Starbucks property into a mixed-use building with apartments. Last year, the city approved plans for a mixed-use building with 14 residential units that would go over the Starbucks parking lot.
Diradour said that after the property received a special-use permit, the city said it would still need permits from its department of planning and development. But that would have taken months and been “onerous,” Diradour said. Given the uptick in apartment vacancy, Diradour said he’s glad he did not move forward.
In two years, under CEO Brian Niccol, Starbucks has been focusing on improving customer experience, emphasizing in-person interactions. This is the second round of closures.
Last year, the Starbucks at 1017 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd. and 4320 Commerce Road were closed as part of Starbucks’ massive “turnaround plan. Last year, the 400 N. Robinson St. location was also temporarily closed due to striking workers.
Workers United, the union representing Starbucks workers, said in a statement that it plans to bargain for workers at impacted stores so that they can be placed in other Starbucks stores.
The Virginian-Pilot contributed to this report.
