Starbucks officials have announced plans to shutter 16 locations in the United States that have "experienced a high volume of challenging incidents."
The "challenging incidents" -- reported at stores in Seattle, Los Angeles, Portland, Philadelphia and Washington D.C. -- involve illegal drug use, racism, violence and theft, according to a spokesperson.
"After careful consideration, we are closing some stores in locations that have experienced a high volume of challenging incidents that make it unsafe to continue to operate," a spokesperson told CNN.
The company is closing six stores in Seattle, six stores in Los Angeles, two in Portland, one in Philadelphia and one in Washington, D.C., according to the Wall Street Journal. The stores will be closed by the end of July.
The following locations will be closing , according to Business Insider:
• Santa Monica & Westmount, West Hollywood, California
• Hollywood & Western, Los Angeles, California
• 1st & Los Angeles (Doubletree), Los Angeles, California
• Hollywood & Vine, Hollywood, California
• Ocean Front Walk & Moss, Santa Monica, California
• 2nd & San Pedro, Los Angeles, California
• 10th & Chestnut, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• 4th & Morrison, Portland, Oregon
• Gateway, Portland, Oregon
• 23rd & Jackson, Seattle, Washington
• Roosevelt Square, Seattle, Washington
• E. Olive Way, Seattle, Washington
• 505 Union Stn, Seattle, Washington
• Westlake Center, Seattle, Washington
• Hwy 99 & Airport Rd, Everett, Washington
• Union Station Train Concourse, Washington, DC
In a letter sent to employees on Monday, senior vice presidents Debbie Stroud and Denise Nelson said workers at the soon-to-be shuttered locations have been "seeing firsthand the challenges facing our communities — personal safety, racism, lack of access to healthcare, a growing mental health crisis, rising drug use and more."
"With stores in thousands of communities across the country, we know these challenges can, at times, play out within our stores too," the letter says. "We read every incident report you file – it's a lot."
The letter goes on to say the company is now offering programs to help employees feel safer, including active shooter training, mental health first aid trainings, and training on how to de-escalate situations.
"We want you to know that creating a safe, welcoming, and kind third place is our top priority. Because simply put, we cannot serve as partners if we don't first feel safe at work," the letter says.
The company also plans to make changes at existing locations to make them feel safer, including adjusting store formats, furniture layouts, hours of operation and staffing, or testing store-specific solutions like restroom occupancy sensors and new alarm systems.
In cases where creating a safer store environment isn't possible, Starbucks will close the location permanently and transfer employees to nearby stores if possible.
The company also plans to offer expanded benefits to support workers' mental health and financial safety, including paid sick time, free counselors following a "critical incident," help with offsetting costs for college, access to abortions or gender affirming procedures, and paid parental leave.
The move to increase safety comes as CEO Howard Schultz revealed an effort to revamp the company.
"We need to reinvent Starbucks for the future," Schultz wrote in a letter to workers on Monday. "We must modernize and transform the Starbucks experience in our stores and recreate an environment that is relevant, welcoming and safe, and where we uplift one another with dignity, respect and kindness."
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