Starbucks Middle East to lay off over 2,000 employees amid consumer boycotts

More than 2,000 Starbucks employees in the Middle East and Africa will be laid off as the global coffee chain experienced a sales slump due to consumer boycotts following the war in Gaza. Alshaya Group, the operator for Starbucks in the MENA region, told The National that the decision for the layoff of its regional workforce is due to “challenging trading conditions”. The planned layoff represents 18 percent of its workforce in the MENA region. The Kuwait-based Alshaya Group operates more than 1,300 coffee shops and employs 11,000 workers. It has been the franchise partner for Starbucks in MENA for more than 25 years. Starbucks sparked outrage last October when it sued US union Starbucks Workers United over a social media post supporting Palestine amid the Israeli-Hamas war in Gaza. Starbucks wanted to stop the union for using its name and logo, saying it has no official stance on the war. On social media, #boycottstarbucks has been used in thousands of posts, with boycotters seeing the global coffee chain seen as not offering enough support for the war-hit people of Gaza. ICA/Expat Media
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