Starbucks will soon lay off an unspecified number of employees as part of its ongoing ‘Back to Starbucks’ plan.

In a statement, Starbucks’ new CEO Brian Niccol said that the company needs to focus on reducing complexity and operating more efficiently.

“We are approaching this work thoughtfully, but it will involve difficult decisions and choices,” said Niccol.

“I expect that, unfortunately, we will have job eliminations and smaller support teams moving forward.”

Niccol clarified that the job cuts are not expected to affect Starbucks’ in-store teams and hours.

Niccol said Starbucks will announce final details of the cuts by early March.

Earlier, Starbucks started implementing a four-minute wait time target in its coffee shops and provided additional coverage hours in over 3000 stores.

The company also doubled its paid parental leave for US retail teams and aims to promote internally for 90 per cent of its leadership roles in three years.