Flagship location that pioneered roastery concept and became union organizing hub shutters as CEO Niccol accelerates turnaround strategy

Starbucks Corporation’s flagship Reserve Roastery in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood has closed as part of the coffee giant’s sweeping $1 billion restructuring plan, marking the end of an era for a location that served as both an innovation showcase and a lightning rod for labor activism.

The closure of the pioneering roastery concept, announced Thursday alongside plans to shutter roughly 130-140 underperforming stores nationwide and eliminate 900 corporate jobs, represents a symbolic blow to the company’s premium retail ambitions just blocks from its Seattle headquarters.

A letter posted on the Reserve Roastery’s door early Thursday morning broke

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