Starbucks to shut 500 branches in the US as customers tighten their belts

INTERNATIONAL coffee chain Starbucks plans to close another 500 outlets in the US on top of the 100 it had already announced.

Around 12,000 full and part-time baristas – or seven per cent of its global workforce – will be lost, although Starbucks said it is to try to relocate staff into other branches.

The company has been hit by American consumers cutting back on their expensive lattes. It has not yet announced any closures or job cuts in the UK.