Starbucks to Close 45 Locations in Save Mart, Lucky

SEATTLE — Starbucks has said it will not renew licensee agreements with 45 Save Mart and Lucky Supermarket locations in Northern California and Nevada, forcing coffee stands in those stores to close within weeks, according to reports first published by the Reno Gazette-Journal. Company officials have said that the decision was not made due to a lack of traffic at the sites, but have been otherwise noncommittal. Faced with stagnating sales, the coffee-shop giant has been undergoing a retrenchment during the past several months, re-electing company founder Howard Schultz as chief executive officer, closing all of its shops for several hours in late February to retrain staff, and most recently, announcing the launch of a less expensive, lighter tasting blend called “Pikes Place Roast” in an effort to compete with lower-cost, premium quality coffee now offered in outlets including McDonalds and 7-Eleven.