What to Make of Rumors Starbucks Is Leaving Seattle for Nashville

by

Editorial Policy

Published on

✉️ This story was featured in this week’s Coffee News Club
👋 Get the Coffee News Club newsletter in your inbox weekly—sign up.

At this point, Starbucks is basically synonymous with Seattle. The company was founded there in 1971, employs thousands of corporate employees in a building known as the Starbucks Center, and has partnered with many Seattle institutions, community groups, and sports teams (although maybe don’t mention former CEO Howard Schultz’s name to any Seattle SuperSonics fans). 

However, if media reports are to be believed, the coffee giant might be looking to move its HQ across the country.

According to the real estate publication CoStar, Starbucks has reportedly been scouting large office spaces in Nashville. The outlet reported that Starbucks has been working with the real estate firm CBRE to locate a building with 250,000 square feet of office space in Nashville, enough for upwards of 2,000 employees. 

Starbucks has denied rumors that it is planning to move its headquarters. 

In 2025, Starbucks laid off more than 1,000 corporate workers across two rounds as it sought to cut costs amid CEO Brian Niccol’s “Back to Starbucks” plan. Earlier in March, the company announced it would be moving some of its logistics operations to Tennessee. At the time, Starbucks spokesperson Lori Torgerson told the Seattle Times that “Seattle remains our North America and Global Support HQ.”

The potential move could be related to Washington state’s recent “millionaires’ tax” on high earners, according to additional reporting from Paul Roberts for the Seattle Times. The tax, a 9.9% levy on incomes above $1 million that will impact just 20,000 households in the state, has drawn opposition from some of the state’s wealthy residents. Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz announced he’d be moving to Miami days before the tax passed.

Tennessee has no income tax, low business taxes, and a steadily growing population. In his reporting, Roberts notes that “Metropolitan Nashville and the rest of Davidson County have been aggressively recruiting employers.” In a statement on Starbucks’ logistics office opening, Governor Bill Lee said that the state’s “strong values and fiscally-conservative approach are good for business.”

Read the full story on Starbucks’ possible headquarters move from Sprudge here.

Photo by Deepthi Clicks on Unsplash

Share This Article
Avatar photo

Fionn Pooler

Fionn Pooler is a coffee roaster and freelance writer currently based in the Scottish Highlands who has worked in the specialty coffee industry for over a decade. Since 2016 he has written the Pourover, a newsletter and blog that uses interviews and critical analysis to explore coffee’s place in the wider, changing world (and also yell at corporations).

Join 10,500+ coffee leaders and get top stories, deals, and other industry goodies in your inbox each week.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.


Other Articles You May Like

Coffee Can Improve Mood, Gut Health—Whether Caffeinated or Not

Many of coffee’s health benefits can be traced back to caffeine. Are decaf drinkers missing out? Not anymore. New research found that coffee—caffeinated or not—can alter our gut biomes and “significantly” boost moods.
by Fionn Pooler | April 30, 2026

Coffee Businesses May Get Tariff Refunds. Will That Mean Lower Prices?

Customs and Border Protection will begin refunding the $166 billion in tariff revenue collected in 2025. In a year that saw retail coffee prices skyrocket, will any of that money go to consumers?
by Fionn Pooler | April 28, 2026

Coffee News Club: Week of April 27

Tariff refunds are rolling out. Plus, coffee may be good for your gut health. Here’s the coffee news your need for the week of April 27.
by Fionn Pooler | April 27, 2026

How a Little Nudge Can Cut a Latte’s Carbon Footprint Up to 34%

Making oat the default versus dairy can encourage more people to choose the environmentally-friendly alternative milk, researchers say.
by Ashley Rodriguez | April 23, 2026