Bangor-area Starbucks’ fate uncertain amid corporate cuts

BANGOR – Starbucks Corp.’s announcement that it will close 600 underperforming stores to improve long-term profitability leaves the future of its five locations in the Bangor area uncertain.

A Starbucks spokeswoman would not say this week whether any of the Bangor-area stores would be closing. The chain has locations at 38 Bangor Mall Blvd., 60 Longview Drive in the Bangor Target store and at the University of Maine student union in Orono. It has a venue that opened Feb. 4, 2007, inside the Bangor Mall, and one at 652 Broadway, Bangor, that opened last December next to a branch of Bangor Savings Bank.

Of the stores to be closed, 70 percent were opened since the beginning of the 2006 fiscal year, the company said.

“Store closures will begin in July 2008 and continue through March 2009,” said the Starbucks spokeswoman, Courtney Rice. “Individual stores will be notified by their district manager and-or regional director approximately 30 days prior to the anticipated closure date.”

In a news release, Starbucks said the store closings across the country are part of a multifaceted plan to transform the company’s financial growth.

“Throughout the history of the company, we have always aspired to put our people first. This makes our decision to close stores difficult,” said Howard Schultz, chairman, president and CEO of Starbucks. “At the same time, we recognize that it is necessary to make decisions that will strengthen the U.S. store portfolio and enable us to enter into fiscal 2009 focused on enhancing operating efficiency, improving customer satisfaction and ensuring long-term value for our partners, customers and shareholders.”