SEATTLE — San Franciscans fond of La Boulange bakeries are crying foul over Starbucks’ decision to shutter the chain by September, wiping out nearly 800 jobs.
The backlash adds a new dimension to Starbucks’ $100 million acquisition of La Boulange in 2013 to revamp the food offerings of its coffee empire. London Breed, a San Francisco city supervisor, said she’s comforted Starbucks promising to help staffers find new jobs.
Starbucks continues to sell La Boulange pastries in North America. It’s a key part of the company’s effort to double revenue by 2019 to $30 billion a year.
But La Boulange’s 23 cafes didn’t fit with the plan.
Starbucks declined to share details on its plans for the closing stores.
