Starbucks CEO says more store closures are coming as he cites safety concerns and drug use: 'This is just the beginning'

The CEO of Starbucks warned in a leaked video that there would be more store closings.

He said in the new footage that this was just the beginning. Many more are on the way. Starbucks wouldn't say where the video was taken or when it was filmed. The company didn't say which other stores were in danger of being axed.

Coffee shops in Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle, and other cities will be closing by the end of July due to drug use and other issues.

Starbucks is closing some stores that have experienced a high volume of challenging incidents that make it unsafe to continue to operate, to open new locations with safer conditions, according to a Starbucks spokesman.

Retail employees are concerned about safety in listening sessions executives have held over the past year, including mental illness, homelessness and crime. Some stores were forced to close because they were not built for them.

Pro-labor publication In These Times reported that two of the 16 stores slated for closure in the most recent announcement had recently voted to unionize.

Starbucks Workers United, which represents Starbucks workers who have voted to unionize, told Insider that every decision Starbucks makes must be viewed through the lens of the company's union busting campaign.

Starbucks didn't deny that it was targeting pro- union stores. The company said it gives local leaders the authority to close the bathroom, reduce seating, and take other measures to keep workers and customers safe.

Do you have a story to tell about a store? You can email this reporter at Business Insider.