Tollgate Starbucks To Close: Report

BEL AIR, MD — Starbucks in the Tollgate Marketplace is reportedly slated to close. The coffee shop is located next to Barnes & Noble off Route 24.

The Starbucks adjacent to Barnes & Noble will close on Feb. 18, The Aegis reported, citing a sign posted on the door.

There was no specific reason for the closure.

A sign with the exact same language announced the closure of Starbucks at the Barnes & Noble in Freehold Township, New Jersey, according to the Asbury Park Press. That store will close on Jan. 20, the newspaper reported.

The sign on the door there, as in Bel Air, said: "You are at the heart of who we are at Starbucks and it's been a great pleasure to connect with you every day. We are very thankful to have played a role in your daily routine."

Starbucks announced last year that it would close an estimated 150 locations by the end of 2019. It did not identify specific stores but said the criteria would be that they were underperforming in densely penetrated markets.

Starbucks already has a presence in several other locations in Bel Air.

The Barnes & Noble Starbucks is about 0.4 mile from the Target Starbucks across Route 24. It's also 0.7 mile from the drive-through Starbucks at Bel Air Plaza. A little more than 3 miles away is the Amyclae Starbucks.

Closing 150 underperforming stores is part of "optimizing its U.S. store portfolio at a more rapid pace" in fiscal year 2019, according to Starbucks. The plan also includes shifting new company-operated store growth to under-penetrated markets and slowing licensed store growth.

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It is unclear what will happen with the space that Starbucks occupies next to Barnes & Noble.

As Barnes & Noble competes with online retail and strives to differentiate itself, CNN Business suggested moving away from the Starbucks partnership and offering a local coffee shop concept instead.

Change is afoot at Tollgate Marketplace as a whole, where facades have been improved and other businesses have left vacancies.

Toys R Us closed its store in summer 2018 as the company shuttered all its locations.

The hhgregg store closed in spring 2017 as that company closed businesses nationwide.

A "specialty grocer" is coming soon to the 33,000 square feet left vacant by hhgregg, according to the latest leasing brochure for Tollgate Marketplace.

"National retailers" are lined up for both Toys R Us and hhgregg locations, the property management company overseeing Tollgate Marketplace told The Aegis, declining to provide further information.

Image via Google street view.