Starbucks to hire 7,500 UK baristas: what 500 new shops mean for towns

Starbucks plans to recruit 7,500 new baristas in the UK over the next five years, with the hiring weighted towards the Midlands, the north of England, Wales and Scotland rather than London and the South East. The announcement, released at 00:01 GMT on Monday 9 November 2026 and reported by the Press Association, the Guardian and Newsquest titles, ties the recruitment drive to the chain’s plan to open 500 new coffee shops across Britain by 2031.

It is a notable promise from a business whose UK arm is still loss-making, which closed dozens of shops in Britain last year, and which is about to face another 3.9% rise in the legal minimum wage from April 2027. For towns outside the M25, it is also one of the larger single commitments to new high street and roadside units announced this year. This article sets out exactly what Starbucks has said, what the UK accounts show, what the new roles will pay, and what the expansion could mean for local shopping streets.

What has Starbucks announced?

The core of the announcement is simple. Starbucks says it will hire 7,500 new baristas in the UK across the next five years, building on a workforce it puts at more than 18,000 people. The company describes the move as part of its “Back to Starbucks” strategy, the global turnaround plan introduced by chairman and chief executive Brian Niccol after he joined the business in September 2024.

According to the Independent, which carried the Press Association report by Henry Saker-Clark, Starbucks said the hiring spree would be “particularly focused in the Midlands, north of England, Wales and Scotland, as it targets further growth north of the M25”. The Guardian’s report by Julia Kollewe, published at 05:01 GMT, adds that the roles are expected to staff the 500 new coffee shops the company hopes to open by 2031.

Put side by side, the figures give a sense of scale. Adding 7,500 people to a base of just over 18,000 would increase the UK workforce by roughly 40% if nobody left, although in practice hospitality staff turnover means gross hiring is always far larger than net growth. Spread across 500 new shops, 7,500 hires works out at about 15 baristas per new site, which is broadly consistent with a busy coffee shop running long opening hours with a mix of full-time and part-time staff.

Starbucks has not said how many of the roles will be in company-operated shops and how many will be in shops run by its franchise partners, which include motorway service area operators, retail park developers and travel hubs. That distinction matters for pay and conditions, because franchise staff are employed by the franchisee rather than by Starbucks itself.

The public face of the plan is Darren King, vice-president and managing director of Starbucks UK. Trade title World Coffee Portal reported in April that Mr King, previously the UK store development director responsible for site acquisition, had been promoted to managing director with effect from 18 May 2026.

In a statement quoted by the Press Association, Mr King said: “We’re proud to be creating thousands of new jobs across the UK over the next five years, bringing new opportunities to communities across the country as we continue to invest and grow here.” He added that the company was “deeply focused on how we can help more young people into these positions, starting by making entry-level roles as accessible as possible”, and that applicants did not need previous industry experience.

The announcement was also welcomed by Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium. “At a time when too many young people are struggling to get a foot on the career ladder, this investment is hugely welcome,” she said, according to the Press Association. “Retail and hospitality are vital routes into the workplace, helping young people build skills, confidence and experience while offering genuine opportunities to progress.”

Where will the new Starbucks jobs be?

Starbucks has named regions rather than towns. The four areas singled out are the Midlands, the north of England, Wales and Scotland, and regional titles in Newcastle and South Wales led their coverage on that basis. ChronicleLive in the North East described a “huge recruitment drive in the north”, while the South Wales Argus framed the story around the 500 new shops.

The choice of regions is not a surprise to anyone who follows the UK coffee shop market. London and the South East already have the highest density of branded coffee shops, and much of the recent growth across the sector has come from drive-thrus on retail parks and main roads, from motorway services, and from suburban and market-town high streets where rents are lower. A chain that wants to add 500 units in five years has more room to do so outside the capital than inside it.

High street, retail park or roadside?

The announcement does not break the 500 shops down by format, and readers should treat any town-by-town lists circulating online with caution until Starbucks or a planning application confirms a site. What is known is that drive-thrus have become an important part of the estate. When Starbucks bought its largest UK franchisee, 23.5 Degrees, in October 2024, World Coffee Portal reported that two-thirds of that group’s 113 sites were drive-thrus.

For shoppers, this means the most visible openings may well appear on the edge of town rather than in the main shopping street. For town centre landlords and councils, the question is whether Starbucks will take vacant units on the high street, where a well-known coffee brand can lift footfall for neighbouring shops, or concentrate on car-based sites that draw trade away from the centre.

How does the hiring fit the 500-shop plan?

The 500-shop target is not new. It was first reported in late March 2026, when Starbucks’ president for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Duncan Moir, set out plans to open 500 UK stores over five years despite what he described as a “tougher and more competitive market”, according to The Grocer and Food Bible. About 75 of those openings were expected in the company’s 2026 financial year.

Monday’s announcement attaches a workforce number to that property plan. In that sense it is less a change of strategy than a recruitment campaign for a strategy already under way, timed for a moment when the government is under pressure over youth unemployment and when many employers have said they are cutting back on hiring.

From closures to openings

The expansion follows a period of shrinkage. The Guardian reported on Monday that Starbucks shut dozens of underperforming outlets in Britain last year as part of a USD 1bn (about GBP 750m, at the Guardian’s conversion) global restructuring. Food Bible, citing The Telegraph, reported that 77 UK stores closed during the 2025 financial year, and that 10 shops in England and Scotland shut in October 2025, including branches in Glasgow, Ilford, Holland Park and Muswell Hill.

The group has also continued to prune its estate elsewhere. In September this year it moved to close around 250 North American coffeehouses with a restructuring charge of about USD 300m, the second portfolio cut in twelve months. The UK plan is therefore not a sign that Starbucks is opening everywhere; it is a sign that it sees Britain, its largest market in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, as a place where new sites can still earn a return after weaker ones have been closed.

Different sources count the estate differently, so the figures below should be read with their dates. Retail Gazette, reporting the Companies House accounts in April, said Starbucks opened 92 new outlets in the year to September 2025, taking the total UK estate, including franchise-run shops, to 1,304. World Coffee Portal described Starbucks in April 2026 as the UK’s third-largest branded coffee chain with “over 1,400 stores”. Allegra’s Project Café UK 2025 report had counted 1,354 Starbucks outlets a year earlier.

On any of those measures, 500 more shops would take the brand to somewhere between roughly 1,800 and 1,900 UK outlets by 2031, assuming closures do not offset openings. World Coffee Portal has said Starbucks harbours “big ambitions to become the largest operator” in the UK branded coffee shop market, which on current numbers would require it to overtake both Greggs and Costa.

Can Starbucks UK afford the expansion?

The UK business has been loss-making for several years, which is why the hiring promise has drawn attention. The latest full accounts cover the year to the end of September 2025, filed at Companies House in April 2026. They show a business growing its sales while its costs grow faster.

Retail Gazette reported that the UK retail arm increased sales by about 6% to £556.3m, helped by price rises, loyalty scheme activity and the rollout of freshly baked food. Full-year losses widened to £41.3m. Food Bible and The Telegraph, which focused on the operating line, reported an operating loss of £29.8m, up from £27.5m in 2024. The two figures measure different things: the operating loss excludes items such as financing costs and some one-off charges.

Starbucks UK retail arm	Year to Sept 2024	Year to Sept 2025	Source
Revenue	£525.6m	£556.3m	Companies House accounts, via QSR Media and Retail Gazette
Operating loss	£27.5m	£29.8m	Accounts, via The Telegraph and Food Bible
Full-year loss	about £35m	£41.3m	Accounts, via Retail Gazette
Corporation tax	None paid	£13.7m credit received	Accounts, via Retail Gazette
Royalty and licence fees to group	Not reported	about £40m	Accounts, via Retail Gazette
New outlets opened	Not reported	92 (25 company-operated)	Accounts, via Retail Gazette
Total UK estate at year end	Not reported	1,304 including franchise	Accounts, via Retail Gazette
Debts due within one year	£144m	£166m	Accounts, via Retail Gazette

Why the UK arm reports losses

Starbucks gave several reasons for the squeeze. The accounts cited a “challenging consumer environment”, changes to the minimum wage and to employer National Insurance contributions, and continuing input cost inflation, according to Food Bible’s summary of the filing. The Grocer reported that the price of unroasted coffee had risen by more than 35% since August 2025, a sharp increase for a business whose core product is coffee.

There is also a structural element. Retail Gazette reported that the UK retail arm paid about £40m in royalty and licence fees to Starbucks EMEA, a UK-based group company that collects similar payments from across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. That sum is close to the size of the full-year loss.

Paul Monaghan, chief executive of the Fair Tax Foundation, told the title that the pattern of rising revenues and store numbers alongside continued losses, driven in part by royalty payments, echoed earlier concerns about the group’s UK tax position. A Starbucks spokesperson said the business was committed to paying all taxes owed in the markets where they arise.

The accounts also show the parent company supporting the UK business with cash. According to Retail Gazette, the parent group injected £30m during the year to September 2025 and a further £60m in February 2026. The UK business also drew on a £70m credit facility due to expire in December. In other words, the expansion is being backed by group money rather than funded purely from UK trading profits, which is common for international chains in a growth phase but means the plan depends on continued support from Seattle.

For shoppers, the practical point is that the hiring promise does not depend on the UK arm turning an accounting profit next year. For local communities hoping for a new shop, it does mean that site selection will be strict: Starbucks has already shown, in the UK and in North America, that it will close units that do not meet its targets.

What will the new baristas be paid?

Starbucks has not published a pay rate alongside the announcement, so the safest guide is the legal minimum. The government announced on 28 October 2026 that it had accepted in full the Low Pay Commission’s recommendations for April 2027, raising every band by 3.9%. Our earlier report on the National Living Wage rise for April 2027 covers what that means across retail; the final confirmed adult figure is £13.21 an hour, according to the government announcement on GOV.UK.

Minimum wage band	From April 2026	From April 2027	Increase
National Living Wage (21 and over)	£12.71	£13.21	50p (3.9%)
18 to 20 year old rate	£10.85	£11.27	42p (3.9%)
16 to 17 year old rate	£8.00	£8.31	31p (3.9%)
Apprentice rate	£8.00	£8.31	31p (3.9%)

These are statutory floors. Many large hospitality chains pay above them for some roles or locations, and Starbucks has not said what its starting rates will be in 2027. What the table does show is the minimum cost pressure the company has already priced into its plan: every hour worked by an adult barista on the legal minimum costs 50p more from April 2027, before employer National Insurance and pension contributions.

What it means per barista

An illustrative example helps. A barista aged 21 or over, paid the legal minimum and working 25 hours a week for 52 weeks, would earn about £16,523 a year at £12.71 an hour and about £17,173 at £13.21, an increase of roughly £650 before tax. For an 18 to 20 year old on the same hours, the move from £10.85 to £11.27 adds about £546 a year. These are our calculations based on the published rates, not figures from Starbucks.

The youth bands matter here because of Starbucks’ workforce profile. The company says more than half of staff in its company-operated stores are under 24. The Low Pay Commission, in its own statement, said it had decided to pause the faster catch-up of the 18 to 20 rate towards the adult rate because “demand for young workers has slowed and the risks associated with ambitious rises have increased”. A large employer committing to hire young people at scale is, in effect, a test of whether that judgement was right.

Both the Press Association and the Guardian placed the announcement against a backdrop of rising labour costs. The minimum wage increase was confirmed at the end of October, and the Guardian noted that a monthly survey from KPMG and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation found permanent placements fell in October for the first time in four months, with temporary hiring also falling for the first time since March. Jon Holt, chief executive and UK senior partner of KPMG, said employers had “pulled back on hiring in the month leading up to the budget”.

Against that, a 7,500-job commitment from a household name is a useful headline for both the company and the government. It is worth noting, though, that the jobs are spread over five years, that they are tied to openings which depend on suitable sites, and that Starbucks has not set out year-by-year hiring targets.

How does Starbucks compare with Costa, Greggs and the rest?

The UK branded coffee shop market is crowded and still growing. Allegra’s Project Café UK 2026 report, as summarised by Retail Gazette and World Coffee Portal, valued the branded segment at £6.8bn, up 3.5% on the previous year, with 12,313 outlets after 420 net new openings in twelve months. The same report found that Greggs had overtaken Costa by outlet count for the first time, with 2,737 sites against Costa’s 2,707, the first change of leader by outlets since 2007.

Chain	UK outlets (latest reported)	Owner	Current direction
Greggs	2,737 (Project Café UK 2026)	Greggs plc, listed in London	Targeting about 100 to 110 net new openings in 2026
Costa Coffee	2,707 (Project Café UK 2026)	The Coca-Cola Company	Owner exploring a sale again, per Semafor in October
Starbucks	1,304 at Sept 2025 (accounts); “over 1,400” per World Coffee Portal, April 2026	Starbucks Corporation, with franchise partners	500 new shops by 2031; 7,500 hires
Whole branded market	12,313 outlets, £6.8bn sales	Various	420 net new outlets in a year

The contrast with Costa is striking. The Financial Times reported that Coca-Cola, which bought Costa from Whitbread in a deal worth about £3.9bn, ended talks with remaining bidders in December 2025, halting an auction in which Asda owner TDR Capital and a Bain Capital fund had been in the final rounds. In October 2026, Semafor reported that Coca-Cola was once again exploring a sale. A leading rival with an uncertain owner is less likely to commit to an aggressive five-year opening programme, which may give Starbucks a window to win sites.

Greggs, meanwhile, competes on price rather than on the coffee shop experience. Its rise to the top of the outlet ranking reflects the strength of value food-to-go at a time when household budgets remain tight. Starbucks sits at the premium end of the branded market, which means its new shops will be judged by whether local customers will pay more for a drink when cheaper options are close by.

What does the expansion mean for high streets?

For local shopping streets the most important question is not how many baristas Starbucks hires, but where the new shops open. A national chain taking a vacant unit can help a struggling parade by bringing in footfall that spills over to independent shops. A drive-thru on a retail park, by contrast, can pull morning trade out of the town centre entirely.

The timing is relevant for town centres. Visits to UK high streets were already under pressure this autumn: footfall fell 4.7% in October according to the BRC and Sensormatic, with storms hitting high streets hardest. Any operator willing to sign new leases in regional towns will be welcomed by landlords, even if independent cafés see a well-funded new competitor.

Rents, rates and empty units

Property costs shape where chains go. Since April 2026, under changes announced in the 2025 Budget, retail, hospitality and leisure properties below the £500,000 rateable value threshold have paid lower business rates multipliers in England, while the largest properties pay a higher one. From April 2027, small independents will also benefit from the business rates relief changes in the Budget, though large chains generally do not qualify for small business rate relief on their own units. A typical coffee shop unit falls well below the £500,000 threshold, which makes high street and suburban sites relatively more affordable than flagship city locations.

Councils also have new tools. The government’s high streets strategy aimed at empty units and unsuitable shops gives local authorities more scope to influence what fills vacant premises. A national brand with a five-year opening plan is exactly the kind of tenant those powers are designed to attract, although councils will also face lobbying from independent traders who fear being undercut.

Independent coffee shops have competed with branded chains for more than two decades, and most survive on quality, location and a loyal local following rather than price. The more immediate effect of 500 new Starbucks shops may be on the jobs market: a chain hiring 15 people per site, offering training and a recognised name, competes directly for the same young staff that independent cafés rely on. Independents may find it harder to recruit and may need to match pay or flexibility to keep good baristas.

For suppliers, a larger Starbucks estate means more demand for milk, bakery products and cleaning services in the regions, some of which is sourced locally. Starbucks has not said how much of that spending will go to UK suppliers, and readers should be wary of claims about local economic benefit until the company sets them out.

Why is youth employment central to the plan?

Starbucks framed the announcement as a youth employment story, and the politics of that are clear. The Guardian noted that the number of young people not in education, employment or training, known as Neets, reached a record high above one million at the start of the year. Retail and hospitality are among the largest employers of young people in the UK, and any slowdown in their hiring falls disproportionately on school leavers and students.

The company also published research it had commissioned, which found that 68% of 18 to 35 year olds surveyed believe retail and hospitality roles are perceived as temporary or “stopgap” work. The sample size and polling company were not given in the press coverage, so the figure should be read as an indication of attitudes rather than a precise measure. Starbucks says it wants to change that perception by offering training and routes to promotion.

The honest answer is that it can be, but for most people it is not. Coffee shop chains do promote from within, and shift supervisors and store managers are often former baristas. However, staff turnover in UK hospitality has historically been high, and many baristas are students or people combining the role with other work. Starbucks’ claim that no previous experience is needed is accurate for entry-level roles across the sector, and is one reason these jobs matter for first-time workers.

What will decide whether the new roles are good jobs is not the headline number but the terms: guaranteed hours, pay above the legal minimum, training and the chance to progress. Starbucks has not published those details for the new roles. Job seekers interested in applying should look for the hours offered, whether the shop is run directly by Starbucks or by a franchise partner, and the starting rate compared with the April 2027 minimum.

What should shoppers and job seekers do now?

For most shoppers, nothing changes immediately. New shops will open gradually over five years, and Starbucks says about 75 openings were planned for its 2026 financial year. If a new Starbucks is coming to your town, the first public sign is usually a planning application, particularly for drive-thrus that need a change of use or new signage. Local council planning portals are the most reliable place to check.

For job seekers, the recruitment will be run through the company’s careers site and through franchise partners’ own channels. Because Starbucks has not named locations, the best approach is to watch for new shop openings locally and apply early, as the first staff are typically recruited several weeks before a shop opens.

Key points for each group:

• Young job seekers: check whether a role is with Starbucks directly or a franchise partner, and compare the hourly rate with the £11.27 (18 to 20) and £13.21 (21 and over) minimums from April 2027.
• Independent cafés: expect more competition for staff in regional towns, and review pay and rotas before new branded sites open nearby.
• Landlords and councils: a national tenant with a five-year opening plan may be interested in vacant high street units, but drive-thrus will compete for the same budget.
• Shoppers: new openings are likely to appear first in retail parks, roadside sites and regional town centres rather than in London.

What happens next?

The next signals to watch are concrete openings and the next set of UK accounts. Starbucks’ UK financial year ends in late September, so accounts for the year to September 2026 should be filed at Companies House next year and will show how many of the planned 75 openings actually happened, and whether losses have narrowed. The parent company’s quarterly results will also show whether the international business is still investing at the same pace.

The minimum wage increase takes effect in April 2027, which is when the cost of each new hire on the legal minimum rises. Costa’s ownership is the other moving piece: a sale could unlock a new round of investment by a rival, or a period of caution. Greggs, now the largest operator by outlets, is also expanding, so the competition for good regional sites is unlikely to ease.

For now, the announcement is best read as a statement of intent backed by group funding, not a guarantee. Starbucks has a five-year plan, a regional focus and a hiring number. The test for towns in the Midlands, the North, Wales and Scotland is whether those shops open on their high streets, how many jobs actually materialise, and on what terms.

Frequently asked questions

How many jobs is Starbucks creating in the UK?

Starbucks says it will hire 7,500 new baristas in the UK over the next five years, adding to a current workforce of more than 18,000. The announcement was made on Monday 9 November 2026 and reported by the Press Association, the Guardian and regional titles.

Where will the new Starbucks jobs be?

The company says recruitment will be focused on the Midlands, the north of England, Wales and Scotland, as it targets growth north of the M25. It has not named specific towns or shops.

How many new Starbucks shops are opening in the UK?

Starbucks plans to open 500 new coffee shops in the UK by 2031, a target first reported in March 2026. About 75 openings were expected in the company’s 2026 financial year, according to The Grocer and Food Bible.

Do I need experience to get a Starbucks barista job?

No. Darren King, managing director of Starbucks UK, said applicants do not need previous industry experience and that the company will provide training from the first day. The company says it wants to make entry-level roles accessible to young people.

What will Starbucks baristas be paid from April 2027?

Starbucks has not published starting rates for the new roles. The legal minimum from April 2027 will be £13.21 an hour for workers aged 21 and over, £11.27 for 18 to 20 year olds and £8.31 for 16 to 17 year olds and apprentices, after a 3.9% increase confirmed by the government on 28 October 2026.

Is Starbucks UK profitable?

Not on the latest accounts. The UK retail arm reported sales of £556.3m and a full-year loss of £41.3m in the year to September 2025, according to Companies House filings reported by Retail Gazette. It also paid about £40m in royalty and licence fees to another Starbucks group company and received £60m of further parent funding in February 2026.

Why did Starbucks close UK shops if it is now expanding?

The company closed dozens of underperforming UK outlets as part of a global restructuring, with The Telegraph reporting 77 UK closures in the 2025 financial year. The new plan focuses on opening sites where it expects better returns, particularly outside London.

Is Starbucks the biggest coffee chain in the UK?

No. Allegra’s Project Café UK 2026 report found Greggs had 2,737 outlets and Costa 2,707. Starbucks is the third-largest branded chain, with 1,304 UK shops at September 2025 according to its accounts and over 1,400 by World Coffee Portal’s count in April 2026.