According to staffers at area stores, all 32 Caribou Coffee locations throughout the state are slated to close. The rumors have been swirling around for the past couple days, but employees learned via a conference call on April 5 that all the Ohio stores will close.
Caribou has locations in Tower City, Avon, Lakewood, Westlake, Beachwood and Rocky River among others throughout Northeast Ohio region.
Most stores will likely convert to Peet's Coffee and Tea, the company Caribou parent company Joh. A. Benckiser Group acquired earlier this year from the for $1 billion.
Peet’s Coffee was founded in Berkeley, CA, and is now headquartered in Emeryville, CA. The majority of its stores are located in California, but also has locations in Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts, Oregon and Washington state.
Although a local manager confirmed that "most stores in the area will become Peet's," no specifics on which ones and when is available.
