New York (awp / afp) – The historic boss of Starbucks Howard Schultz will temporarily return to the helm of the ever-expanding coffee chain, which is also facing the difficulties linked to the pandemic and the discontent of its American employees.
Current chief executive Kevin Johnson will step down on April 4 after five years in the role, and the group plans to appoint a new leader by this fall, a statement said.
In the meantime, Mr. Schultz, 68, will take over the day-to-day management of the group and its more than 34,000 cafes around the world.
“I had no plans to return to Starbucks, but I know the company must transform once again to face a new and exciting future where all of our stakeholders thrive on each other,” he said. he commented, quoted in the statement.
This is not the first time that this leader, known for his social fiber and tried in 2020 to run for the American presidential election, has been called for help.
After initiating the expansion of Starbucks in the 1980s and 1990s, he left his post as general manager in 2000, only to return eight years later, until he was replaced by Mr. Johnson.
social fiber
At the head of a fortune of 4.2 billion dollars according to Forbes magazine, Mr. Schultz chose not to be paid during his interim and will receive 1 symbolic dollar.
This manager of modest origins was one of the first to grant health coverage and stock options to all his employees, even those working part-time.
He has also taken a stand on social issues such as racial inequality and same-sex marriage.
He takes over the head of the company, created in 1971, at a time when more and more employees are seeking to unionize.
Wishing to make their demands heard more clearly, the employees of two cafes in Buffalo, in the north of the United States, voted in December for the creation of a union, a first in establishments directly managed by the chain in the United States. .
They have been emulated and employees of more than 130 Starbucks have since requested the organization of a ballot.
The management had however mobilized great means to try to dissuade them, sending a large number of executives to the area, summoning the employees to several meetings and multiplying the legal remedies.
The US labor law firm NLRB filed a lawsuit on Tuesday accusing the company of retaliating against workers at a coffee shop in Arizona seeking to unionize.
A group of investors, in a letter made public on Tuesday, highlighted the “reputational risks” posed by the union-busting tactics used by the company.
The president of the board of directors Mellody Hobson repeated Wednesday during the general meeting of the company the message delivered in recent months: Starbucks recognizes the right of its employees to unionize but favors a “direct” dialogue with its collaborators.
The turnover of the company famous for its takeaway coffees has also never been so high, reaching 29 billion dollars in the financial year ending at the end of October.
However, the group must reckon with inflation, additional expenses linked to the coronavirus and a tight labor market. The à la carte prices have been increased several times in recent months.
Kevin Johnson, 61, said in the statement that he told the board about a year ago of his intention to leave when the pandemic ends and a recruitment firm has been hired as early as 2021.
He joined the company in 2009 to sit on the board of directors before becoming chief operating officer in 2015 and then managing director in 2017.
On Wall Street, Starbucks took almost 5% at the end of the session.
The return of Mr. Schultz is a “positive” element for the action, under pressure since the beginning of the year, according to analysts at the investment bank Cowen.
The group has several solid leaders who can regain control, but “the public impact of the unionization movement” is probably pushing Starbucks to look for a new boss externally, they say.
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