Starbucks Lays Off 200-Plus Seattle HQ Employees Amid Nashville Relocation
NewsData.io · United States · Aug 22, 2026
Starbucks has filed a WARN Act notice with Washington State detailing layoffs of more than 200 corporate employees at its Seattle SoDo headquarters. According to a Seattle University economics professor, roughly 120 of those affected are IT workers who declined to relocate to the company's new corporate office in Nashville, while the remainder worked in store design. The move reflects a broader trend of major employers shifting operations from high-cost coastal markets to lower-cost Southern cities, creating both displacement and new regional hiring opportunities.
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