Starbucks is closing at least 37 stores across Canada this weekend, including four in Toronto, marking its second round of mass closures in the country in roughly a year. Most of the affected locations served their final customers on Saturday, Sept. 26, with closures stretching from downtown Vancouver to Miramichi, N.B.
The move is part of a broader North American restructuring in which Starbucks announced it will close 250 stores, though the company has not disclosed a full list of locations or specified how many are in Canada. A review of the Starbucks store locator identified at least 37 Canadian closures, including 12 in Ontario, 10 in Quebec, 10 in British Columbia, four in Alberta and one in New Brunswick.
Four Toronto Locations, Different Histories
In Toronto, the closures span both new and long-running cafés. The Portland and Adelaide location in King West opened just 10 months ago inside a Minto condo development and was still hiring baristas as recently as August. The 350 Bay Street café in the Financial District, open only 15 months, closed a day earlier than the other Toronto locations, on Friday, Sept. 25.
By contrast, the store at Church and Wellesley has served the neighbourhood since at least 1999, and a location at Yonge Street and Erskine Avenue in midtown opened in December 2006, just months short of its 20th anniversary. All four Toronto stores had closure notices posted from “The Starbucks Coffee Company” thanking customers for being part of the brand’s story and noting the company was working to support staff through the transition.
Part of a Larger Pattern of Cuts
This marks the third major wave of Starbucks closures in Toronto in under six years. Twenty-nine locations shut in early 2021, and 13 more closed last September, including stores at Commerce Court, Adelaide and Peter, and Richmond and Spadina. With this week’s four closures, the total number of Toronto Starbucks locations shuttered since 2021 has reached 46, with most concentrated downtown.
Starbucks says the closures reflect a review of store performance following its ongoing redesign program. Chief Operating Officer Mike Grams told employees the affected stores either were not delivering acceptable financial results or could not provide the experience the company wants for customers and staff. In a statement, a Starbucks representative said the closures involve locations where the company does not see a path to delivering the customer experience or long-term performance it expects. The company has declined to say how many Canadian stores are included in the cuts.
The company has said the North American closures come with restructuring charges of US$300 million and represent about one per cent of its North American store count, which stood at 18,371 locations as of the end of June.
Investment in Remaining Stores Continues
Starbucks says it is not retreating from the Canadian market and remains committed to growing its overall North American store count. Instead, the company says it is investing in the locations it keeps, having redesigned more than 1,000 coffeehouses across the U.S. and Canada since late 2025 with updated seating, artwork and additional power outlets. Starbucks says it plans to bring that number to at least 1,500 redesigned stores by Sept. 30, with work underway in Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary.
For employees affected by the closures, Starbucks says it will offer transfers to nearby stores where possible, and severance where transfers are not available. During last year’s round of closures, some Toronto staff reported receiving only two days’ notice before their stores shut.
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