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Starbucks announced plans to roll out a new store concept aimed at locations with a smaller physical footprint. The company said these compact cafés will still include seating so customers can linger rather than just grab and go.
A federal lawsuit filed in Seattle accuses Starbucks of falsely marketing eight protein beverages as sugar-free, despite containing significant sugar amounts. The complaint highlights discrepancies between the labeling and the actual sugar content, which ranges from 16 to 21 grams per serving. Starbucks maintains that the sugar originates from the milk used and that no sugar is added intentionally.
Major chains including McDonald's, Dunkin' and Starbucks have been revising their loyalty programs in ways that reduce the value customers can extract from accumulated points, according to reporting on what is being called a 'great rewards overhaul' in 2026. One example cited involves a Dunkin' customer who let points accumulate for five years without redeeming them, illustrating how program structures can leave long-term users holding devalued rewards.
Starbucks confirmed last week it is closing about 250 stores across North America, roughly 1% of its 18,000 locations in the region. As of Monday, the affected locations are showing as closed on Google and in the company's own store locator tool.
A report on urban planning examines how everyday city environments—traffic noise, flashing signage, notifications, and crowded sidewalks—compete for pedestrians' limited attention. It argues that small design choices, from crosswalk timing to signage placement, can either add to this sensory burden or help reduce it.
Novo Nordisk this week detailed plans to diversify its business beyond its blockbuster obesity and diabetes treatments, according to CNBC reporting. The move comes as the Danish drugmaker faces intensifying competition from Eli Lilly in the weight-loss drug market.
Starbucks Coffee Company announced it will close about 250 stores across North America this week. The company said the closures target locations where financial performance or the in-store customer experience fell short of expectations.
Theresa Burnley, 65, launched protein-bite brand Circ in 2023 while still running her baked-goods manufacturing company, Wiley Road Foods, before leaving that business at the end of 2024 to focus on Circ full-time. The company now sells six flavors and generated roughly $2 million in revenue last year, with distribution across more than 13,000 retail locations including Starbucks and Walmart.
Companies from Starbucks to Cloetta and Dutch Bros are launching products engineered around texture, not just taste, according to market researchers and food scientists. Examples include Starbucks' air-whipped Aerocano, Trolli's chewy frozen gummies, and popping juice balls at Dutch Bros, alongside global trends like stretchy Chinese yogurt and Parisian crookies blending croissant and cookie textures.
A new Japanese book, 'Building a library like a city,' documents how public libraries in Japan are shedding their old reputation as dull spaces and becoming central gathering points for local communities. The trend traces back to 2013, when bookstore chain Tsutaya opened an unconventional public library in Takeo, Kyushu, combining a Starbucks, a retail bookstore, and stationery goods alongside the usual lending services. The redesigned library drew visitors from far beyond the neighborhood and gradually reshaped civic life in the small city.
Cory Edwards, a Starbucks manager who coaches Little League in Henderson, Nevada, gave his team an unscripted pep talk while trailing 11-2 in the World Series final, telling them to hold their heads high and get tougher under pressure. ESPN's clip of the moment spread widely online, and Edwards later told The New York Times the message was really about character, not the scoreboard.
DoorDash consumer trend data indicates pumpkin spice lattes may be past their peak popularity, with pecan orders up 28% year over year. Major chains including Starbucks, Dunkin', McDonald's, Chick-fil-A, Wendy's and Dairy Queen have responded by rolling out fall drinks built around pecan, banana, tiramisu, apple, marshmallow and s'mores flavors, with McDonald's skipping pumpkin entirely this season.