Massive layoffs at Starbucks worldwide: it will lay off 1,100 employees

Starbucks, the world's largest coffee chain, announced it will terminate the contracts of 1,100 corporate employees in what is the largest layoff in its history, according to a letter from its chief executive, Brian Niccol, made public yesterday.

In addition to these layoffs, the company - which has a global workforce of 16,000 people in corporate functions - will stop covering "hundreds" of vacant positions of the same type, either due to duplication of functions or for other reasons.

Corporate employees are anyone who does not serve customers in the coffee shops , and the company has clarified that those laid off will not be among those working in coffee roasting, warehouses or product distribution.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the company is facing a drop in sales due to the emergence of new competitors in a market where Starbucks has hitherto had almost no rivals, as well as complaints about the long queues that many customers endure before being served.

One of Starbucks' challenges in recent years has been to maintain a fast pace of service - both in-store and online orders - and to offer an increasingly extensive range of "personalized" products , where the coffee or drink ordered can come in a dozen different presentations depending on the ingredients used.