Major chain with 15,000 locations across the US closes store doors for good leaving just one branch in shopping district

A LOVED Starbucks coffeehouse is set to be demolished, leaving only one in a popular shopping district.

The bosses of the River Park shopping center in Fresno, California don’t know what to replace the popular café.

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According to The Fresno Bee, thirsty shoppers used to be able to choose between two coffee houses and a Starbucks at a Target store when they went to the River Park mall.

A coffee shop was converted into a drive-thru and reopened in January.

But the other store, which is next door to an AT&T bank, is scheduled to be demolished after the closure.

Tracey Kashian, a River Park public relations officer, told the Fresno Bee that it’s not yet known what will replace the Starbucks after it’s demolished.

She revealed that there will be a new building and the mall had interest from a jewelry store.

It is not yet known why the Starbucks store in the mall closed.

Starbucks has around 15,000 locations in the United States.

But Howard Schultz, Starbucks’ interim CEO between 2022-23, warned last year that a number of stores would close.

He said: “We’re starting to close stores. This is just the beginning. There will be many more.”

According to insiders, Starbucks announced that at least 16 stores would be closed due to security issues.

The coffee chain planned to close locations in major cities like Los Angeles, Seattle and Portland.

And in 2020, bosses said they planned to close up to 400 stores in the US and Canada over an 18-month period.

Starbucks executives said they were evaluating how the chain is selling coffee given the popularity of takeout orders before the pandemic hit.

A spokesman told CNN: “We’ve already thought about what this future state will be like in these metro areas?

“Covid-19 has actually allowed us to accelerate plans that we already had on the books.”

Starbucks isn’t the only chain to have closed stores in recent years.

A Blue Bottle Coffee Café in San Francisco is closing April 14 after 15 years of operation.

According to SF Gate, the coffeehouse is the chain’s second-oldest location.

A sign on the cafe’s door read, “Since opening this cafe, we have been honored to serve our Mint Plaza guests with distinction.

“This place will always hold a special place in our hearts and we are very grateful to our guests who have made this cafe such a special place over the past 15 years.”

The US Sun reported how pizza giant Papa Murphy’s closed 72 of its stores last year due to poor performance.

Steak n Shake closed 30 of its US restaurants in 2022 — just a year after it avoided bankruptcy.

Red Lobster bosses have closed a number of businesses, including a San Jose restaurant that has been in existence for nearly 40 years.