Starbucks' CEO vs. The Great Pumpkin Spice Sales Standoff
In a caffeine-fueled saga worthy of a soap opera, Brian NiccolâChipotle and Taco Bell turnaround wizardâtook the Starbucks helm on September 9, 2024, facing horror stories of buggy apps, understaffed chaos, and six straight quarters of falling sales through Q3 2025. His 'Back to Starbucks' plan, launched day one, included demanding baristas wear green jackets and hit a four-minute drink sprint. Stocks soared 25% the day he arrived but then pulled a sad 9% nosedive over the next year, while S&P 500 threw a 19% party. Pumpkin Spice became the coffee chain's saving grace with 'record-breaking sales' and 'strongest Tuesday ever,' proving nothing unites coffee lovers like saccharine fall spices. Free brewed coffee refills and a return to ceramic mugs are the new holy grail as Starbucks ditches 30% of its menu to slim down the order chaosâand finally stops charging extra for oat milk. Despite all this, Wall Street's analyst Asit Sharma insists, 'Traffic and repeat visits must improve,' aka we want more caffeine addicts. Niccolâs still steering Starbucks like a big ship in a storm, hoping to make cafĂ©s cozy again instead of app checkout lanes from internet purgatory.
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Starbucks CEO Brian Niccolâs first year: launched pumpkin spice miracle, chopped 30% of the menu, brought back ceramic mugs, yet stockâs still taking a nap. Wall Streetâs waiting for visits to perk up like a sad drip coffee on Monday morning.
Starbucks tried turning around its stock like it was brewing a perfect latte, but it tastes more like expired instant. Pumpkin spice hype canât patch a buggy app and a fickle stock ticker.
When your CEO promises four-minute drink delivery but your stock manages a slow 9% slide, you know itâs either the coffee or the strategy thatâs decaf.
Source: Businessinsider | Published: 9/9/2025 | Author: Aditi Bharade,Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert
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