Starbucks says it will close 8,000 US stores for an afternoon next month - to give staff 'racial bias training'.
It follows uproar about the arrest of two black men as they waited for a friend in a branch in Philadelphia.
They were arrested for 'trespassing', although ultimately released without charge.
There have been protests and calls for a boycott after footage of the incident was widely shared on social media.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) called the incident an "ominous signal on the increasingly dangerous environment for African Americans".
"The Starbucks situation provides dangerous insight regarding the failure of our nation to take implicit bias seriously." #Starbucks @DerrickNAACP https://t.co/yHozSBMQHp
— NAACP (@NAACP) April 16, 2018
Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson has already personally apologised to those involved.
In a statement today, he confirmed a mass closure will take place on May 29th to educate staff about the issue of racial bias.
He explained: “I’ve spent the last few days in Philadelphia with my leadership team listening to the community, learning what we did wrong and the steps we need to take to fix it.
“While this is not limited to Starbucks, we’re committed to being a part of the solution. Closing our stores for racial bias training is just one step in a journey that requires dedication from every level of our company and partnerships in our local communities.”
We apologize to the two individuals and our customers for what took place at our Philadelphia store on Thursday. pic.twitter.com/suUsytXHks
— Starbucks Coffee (@Starbucks) April 14, 2018
