Starbucks Corp will close 8,000 company-owned US cafes for the afternoon on 29 May to train nearly 175,000 staff on how to prevent racial discrimination in its stores.
The announcement from the world's biggest coffee company comes as it tries to cool tensions after the arrest of two black men at one of its Philadelphia cafes last week sparked accusations of racial profiling at the chain.
Starbucks apologises after two black men arrested in Philadelphia cafe | https://t.co/ntyscpg4nI pic.twitter.com/jHe72IwYZ0
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Protesters have called for a boycott of the company.
"While this is not limited to Starbucks, we're committed to being a part of the solution," said Starbucks Chief Executive Kevin Johnson, who has apologised for the "reprehensible" arrests of the two men and taken responsibility for the incident.
