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More than 2,000 stores will temporarily close at 3pm on 22 June, the company said, so staff can watch recorded lectures on modern Korean history and engage in “social sensitivity” training. The half-day closures will cost Starbucks an estimated 2.1bn won ($1.4m) in lost sales, according to data firm IGAWorks.
The measures follow a public relations crisis triggered when Starbucks Korea ran a discount promotion for its “Tank” tumbler series on 18 May, the anniversary of a 1980 massacre in Gwangju. The promotion led to store boycotts, customers smashing Starbucks mug and tumblers and government ministries cutting ties with the chain.
The company pulled the campaign within hours, but the fallout was swift and the chief executive was sacked the same day. Payment volumes, which plunged 26% in the week after the controversy, have shown signs of partial recovery, rising 12.8% in the first week of June, according to market data, but they remain about 25% below pre-controversy levels.