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Starbucks says it plans to open shops in 15 low-income, underserved urban communities across the U.S., with at least five to open next year. These shops will be a key part of the chain’s strategy to hire 10,000 workers between 16 and 24 who may face barriers to gaining meaningful employment and education — a goal the company says it wants achieve by 2018.
Starbucks will open the first of these shops in the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago’s South Side; the West Florissant neighborhood of Ferguson, Mo.; the Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, N.Y.; and in Milwaukee. The company will remodel its shop at Seventh Avenue and Camelback Road, in Phoenix. Each of these shops will have an on-site training space where young people may learn customer-service and retail skills, based on the same training Starbucks employees receive.
“We have a long history of developing stores in diverse neighborhoods, and we hope to do even more — together with the community — to bring great jobs, engage young people, and drive economic opportunity for all,” said Blair Taylor, Starbucks’ chief community officer, in a press release. “We want to be part of the solution in these communities and help create a sustainable future for those who may be looking for a second chance.”
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel weighs in too. “In making this commitment to open in Englewood, Starbucks, like Whole Foods, sees the opportunity and revitalization occurring in one of Chicago’s oldest neighborhoods,” Emanuel said. “This is further proof that when the public and private sectors come together to invest in communities, we can create new jobs and economic resources that will spur economic growth into the future.”
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