According to persons acquainted with the subject, Gulf retail behemoth AlShaya Group, which has the rights to run Starbucks in the Middle East, intends to lay off almost 2,000 employees as the company suffers from customer boycotts related to the Gaza war.
The cuts, which began on Sunday, affect approximately 4% of AlShaya’s employment of nearly 50,000 people and are primarily centered in its Starbucks franchise in the Middle East and North Africa, according to the people, who declined to be identified because the topic is not public.
The boycotts have resulted in difficult trading conditions for the corporation, according to one of the sources.
“As a result of the continually challenging trading conditions over the last six months, we have taken the sad and tough decision to reduce the number of colleagues in our Starbucks Mena stores,” Alshaya stated in a written statement. “We will ensure that we provide the necessary support to our colleagues leaving the business and their families,” the company stated, adding that it remains dedicated to the region.
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