In recent years, Starbucks outlets across Malaysia has seen a notable decline in foot traffic and revenue since the start of boycotts over the Israel-Palestine conflict.
As such, this has led to several outlets closing its doors for good, with the latest being Kuantan’s first ever Starbucks outlet at Berjaya Megamall.
Kuantan’s 1st Starbucks outlet shuts down after 21 years
Opened in 2004, the Starbucks outlet is now a shell of its former glorious self as it shut off the lights permanently yesterday (Apr 30).
A reporter from China Press paid the outlet a visit before its closure and found that store’s cups, magazines, and food items had already been cleared out, as well as staff packing items into multiple boxes.
As for the beverages, only iced Americanos and selected cold beverages were still available but the hot drinks were no longer being served.
A staff member named Syairaf (transliteration) told the Chinese daily they were only informed of the closure a few days ago, with the reason for it remaining unknown.
“The staff will temporarily be reassigned to the other Starbucks outlet at East Coast Mall (ECM). Customers who knew it would be our last day came to say goodbye. We’re also very reluctant to leave,” he said.
With the Megamall outlet’s closure, Kuantan now only has three outlets in existence, namely at ECM Mall, Teluk Cempedak Beach, and Indera Mahkota.
Starbucks outlets at other Malaysian states were also deeply hit by the drop in revenue, with Kelantan seeing its last outlet bidding farewell last year:
