Ahead of their planned corporate expansion into Tennessee, Starbucks has laid off over 200 workers including those who refused to relocate to its new Nashville office, company officials said.
The reductions will be complete by Feb. 1, the company said in a workforce report to Washington state officials.
In May, Starbucks announced plans for a major restructuring. This included the layoff of corporate employees in their Seattle headquarters along with remote workers. A month prior, they announced plans to establish a corporate office in downtown Nashville, bringing thousands of jobs in a variety of business operations and supply chain management roles to Tennessee in a major expansion outside its Seattle home.
This move represented a $100 million
investment by the company. Tennessee leaders incentivized Starbucks with a $30 million grant and Metro Nashville officials said they are considering providing support, especially if this creates high-paying jobs for locals.
"We're establishing a really strategic presence, and we want to open this office kind of on the Eastern side of the country because we believe in investing — over $100 million, creating 2,000 jobs — in this area, that really sets us up for our next leg of growth," said Starbucks' CEO Brian Niccol.
According to a Washington Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, the global coffee giant is laying off 120 corporate employees who refused to relocate to the new Nashville office.
"These partners were made aware of this opportunity months ago, had the appropriate amount of time to make their decisions. This filing is for those who opted out and chose not to relocate," a Starbucks representative told The Tennessean. "However, it was the contract workers that were eliminated, not the roles. These roles will still be available for people to apply to."
These Washington-based layoffs could mean more corporate Starbucks jobs for workers in Tennessee. The job market in Tennessee has stagnated this year as companies announced more than 5,000 layoffs in the first six months of 2026.
Last month, Tiktok laid off its entire Nashville office after less than five years of operating in the Tennessee area.
"We have decided to close our Nashville office to streamline our operations and better align our teams for long-term growth," said TikTok USDS Joint Venture Spokesperson, in a Aug. 5 statement to The Tennessean. "We remain fully committed to providing secure, safe and positive experiences for the 200 million Americans that create, discover and connect with what they love on TikTok."
Starbucks is still set to open six-story building at Peabody Union, by next year.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Starbucks lays off 100+ employees who refused Nashville relocation
