The coffee rumor mill is strenuous at work in Seattle. The theme of this particular tea party? Potential relocation for one of the brands most associated with the city: Starbucks. The coffee chain is said to be looking for office space in Nashville, Tennessee, immense enough to accommodate 2,000 employees in new round of layoffs and store closures.
As reported The Seattle Times.Starbucks previously announced that it would move some of its logistics operations to Nashville in order to establish a “strategic presence in the Southeastern region of the United States.” At the time, it said the move would only affect “dozens” of people working at its Seattle headquarters. But a fresh report suggests Starbucks is looking for something a little bigger. According to the real estate publication CoStar Newsthe company is also considering leasing 250,000 square feet of office space in Nashville.
The six-story office space is part of a five-acre, 1.2 million-square-foot sophisticated that includes a 27-story residential tower, a plaza and 50,000 square feet of dining and retail space. The office capacity is estimated to be between 1,000 and 2,000 employees.
As of 2023, Starbucks had approximately 3,750 employees in its Seattle corporate office, according to The Seattle Times. In 2025 some 1,100 of them employees were laid off due to a rash of store closures and restructuring. At the same time, Starbucks renewed the lease on its headquarters in the Sodo district, where it has been located since 1997. CEO Brian Niccol stated after taking over in 2024 that the move was “not on the to-do list” and that Starbucks management did not denied plans to close at headquarters in Seattle only on March 4.
But the story seems to be moving quickly. The matter is further complicated by the moment when Washington state goes through the so-calledmillionaire tax“, which would impose a 9.9% income tax on annual earnings over $1 million. Under the bill, the money would be used to fund education, health care, housing and tax breaks for working families.
Former Starbucks CEO and firebrand president Howard Schultz made his announcement move to Miamibuying modest Penthouse for $44 million at the Surf Club, located at Four Seasons Private Residences in Surfside. Meanwhile, The Seattle Times notes that Tennessee is aggressively courting businesses and offering “significant tax incentives” for those who move to the state.
The rumor mill on this topic is currently in constant motion throughout the Pacific Northwest, especially among coffee professionals and on forums like the r/Seattle Reddit page—recent post There were hundreds of comments in the press regarding the search for a facility in Nashville. It’s like moving another institution from Seattle to Central America. In 2008, the Seattle Supersonics basketball team moved to Oklahoma City and changed their name to the Thunder, just two years after Howard Schultz. he sold the team. But at least they are there in talks about getting the NBA team back.
