Starbucks (from website)
Starbucks appears to be the first major corporation to suffer a setback due to Israel’s ongoing war against the terrorist organization Hamas in Gaza which was sparked by Hamas’ barbaric attack of October 7, 2023. The Kuwait-based Alshaya Group, the Middle East franchisee of Starbucks, announced it will need to fire as many as 2,000 employees at its Starbucks stores because of protests made against the company because of the war.
There is no word yet, however, if the company intends to close any of its Starbucks branches, or where exactly in the many countries that it operates the cuts will be made.
But why Starbucks? The company’s founder and CEO is Jewish, but other than that, the firm has done nothing that would make it a target of anti-Israel protestors. Starbucks does not even have a franchise in Israel.
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“As a result of the continually challenging trading conditions over the last six months, we have taken the sad and very difficult decision to reduce the number of colleagues in our Starbucks MENA stores,” AlShaya said in a statement.
Apparently, McDonalds and Coca Cola are not worthy of such boycotts.
“Our thoughts are with the green apron partners who will be leaving, and we want to thank them for their contributions,” a Starbucks spokesperson told Reuters. “Starbucks remains committed to working closely with AlShaya to drive long-term growth in this important region.”
There is also an ant-Starbucks boycott going on in the majority Muslim nation of Malaysia where the local stores have seen a large dip in sales.
The company spoke about this in a blog post saying, “At Starbucks, truth and transparency are essential to fulfilling our mission, upholding our promises and living our values. So, when misinformation about our company spreads at lightning speed in an increasingly polarized world, we believe it’s critical to respond with facts and to reiterate our position.”
Starbucks also commented on the ongoing war in Gaza.
“Our position remains unchanged. Starbucks stands for humanity. We condemn violence, the loss of innocent life and all hate and weaponized speech,” said the company. “Despite false statements spread through social media, we have no political agenda. We do not use our profits to fund any government or military operations anywhere – and never have.”
Alshaya Group is a family-owned enterprise, first established in Kuwait in 1890. Operating in multiple sectors including Fashion, Food, Health & Beauty, Pharmacy, Home Furnishings and Leisure & Entertainment, Alshaya Group’s portfolio extends across MENA, Türkiye and Europe, with thousands of stores, cafes, restaurants and leisure destinations, as well as a growing online and digital business.
Alshaya Group operates roughly 1,900 Starbucks branches all over the Middle East in countries like Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.
