Starbucks restructures North America leadership, taps Taco Bell’s Mike Grams as Chief Stores Officer
USA – Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol has announced significant changes to the company’s North America leadership team, introducing new Chief Stores Officer and Chief Store Development Officer roles.
The restructuring eliminates the North America President position currently held by Sara Trilling, who has decided to step down after more than 20 years with the company.
In an internal update, Niccol confirmed the appointment of Mike Grams as Chief Stores Officer.
A former Chief Operating Officer at Taco Bell, Grams will be responsible for overseeing Starbucks’ North America retail operations, including store performance and team management.
Starbucks currently operates over 17,000 stores in the U.S. and 1,488 outlets in Canada.
Meredith Sandland, the former CEO of Empower Delivery, has been appointed as Chief Store Development Officer.
In this newly created role, she will focus on store design and executing Niccol’s vision to enhance Starbucks’ community coffeehouse experience. Both Grams and Sandland previously worked with Niccol at Taco Bell between 2011 and 2018.
Trilling’s departure marks the latest in a series of high-profile executive exits since Niccol took over as CEO in September 2024.
Other recent departures include former North America CEO Michael Conway, Chief Sustainability Officer Michael Kobori, and Lead Independent Director Mellody Hobson—all of whom have retired.
Additionally, Arthur Valdez, who was appointed Executive Vice President of Global Supply and Customer Solutions in October 2023, has also announced his resignation. Starbucks is expected to name a new Chief Supply Chain Officer in the coming weeks.
The leadership changes come as Starbucks faces declining sales. In its first-quarter fiscal year 2025 earnings report, the company reported a 4 percent drop in global comparable store sales, primarily due to a 6 percent decline in transaction volume, offset slightly by a 3 percent increase in average ticket size.
North America, Starbucks’ largest market, also saw a 4 percent decline in comparable store sales, driven by an 8 percent drop in transactions despite a 4 percent rise in average ticket value.
However, the company’s consolidated net revenues remained steady at US$9.4 billion.
Internationally, Starbucks recorded a 1 percent revenue increase, reaching US$1.9 billion, supported by a 9 percent growth in company-operated stores and the acquisition of a U.K. licensed business partner.
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