Oregon Public Broadcasting

Some Starbucks customers may soon have to travel a bit farther to get their caffeine fix. The Seattle-based coffee giant announced Tuesday it will close 600 underperforming stores nationwide. Correspondent Austin Jenkins reports.

The list of stores that will be closed has not yet been made public. But Starbucks says most are newer stores that opened in the past couple of years.

They are spread across all major U.S. cities.

Sharon Zackfia analyzes retail stocks for William Blair and Company in Chicago. She’s also a Starbucks stockholder.

She says the company -- like many retailers -- is feeling the pinch of an overall economic slowdown.

Sharon Zackfia: “You know for Starbucks that Frappuccino in the afternoon for their customers is an indulgence and it’s an indulgence a few less people are taking part of when the gas is at $4 a gallon. It certainly doesn’t seem to be something that’s Starbucks specific.”

The store closures do represent something of a turning point for Starbucks after years of rapid expansion nationwide and worldwide.

In January, Starbucks founder Howard Schultz took over again as CEO and launched a major shake up of the company.