(CNN) – Coffee chain giant Starbucks announced it is closing 150 stores in 2019.
Starbucks closes some underperforming stores yearly but next year, that number will go up about three times the average.
Still, sales are expected to grow just one percent in the next quarter.
Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson said the closures will help the coffee chain better meet the needs of customers.
"Our recent performance does not reflect the potential of our exceptional brand and is not acceptable," Johnson said in a statement. "We must move faster to address the more rapidly changing preferences and needs of our customers."
Starbucks closed 8,000 stores in May 29 to offer about 175,000 employees mandatory anti-bias training after two black men were arrested at a store in Philadelphia while waiting for a friend.
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