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Starbucks wants its cafes to be more welcoming — and accessible. Take a look at a recent renovation

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Starbucks wants its cafes to be more welcoming — and accessible. Take a look at a recent renovation


As Starbucks revamps its U.S. locations, the coffee chain is trying to make its cafes welcoming to all through more inclusive design.

As part of its broader effort to bring back customers, the company has prioritized plans to give makeovers to roughly 1,000 locations by the end of 2026. It will sideline major store renovations and development in the meantime.

While the changes will vary based on the location, expect more seating, dark wood paneling and other tweaks that make its cafes cozier. The renovations will also include changes like less harsh lighting that won’t affect customers with light sensitivity.

“We’re uplifting more than 1,000 coffeehouses over the next year, blending our global heritage with local relevance to create spaces that are immersive, inclusive, and deeply human,” Dawn Clark, Starbucks senior vice president of coffeehouse design and concepts, said in a statement to CNBC.

“Whether it’s the laid-back warmth of the Palisades or the urban energy of Manhattan, intentional design encourages customers to stay longer, connect more, and return often — and translates into meaningful business impact,” Clark said.

Starbucks is planning to spend about $150,000 on each “uplift,” without closing the stores down. The company started with locations in New York, followed by cafes in Southern California.

The makeovers are intended to make the stores more welcoming, returning Starbucks to its prior status as a “third place” for customers to hang out between home and work. In recent years, Starbucks had lost that reputation, fueled by decisions like removing seats as mobile ordering become popular and getting rid of outlets to discourage lingering.

Under CEO Brian Niccol, the chain plans to reverse many of those decisions as it tries to break a sales slump. For example, he previously told employees in June that he plans to add back the 30,000 seats that had been removed from cafes.

But trying to appeal to a wider swath of customers isn’t new for the company. Starbucks first unveiled an accessible store design in early 2024, before Niccol’s tenure. At the time, the company said that the design took about two years and included input from baristas.

Take a look inside a recently renovated New York City cafe near Manhattan’s Union Square.

The Starbucks Union Square East location before the renovation

Source: Starbucks

Before the renovation, the location lacked many decorative touches, besides some large-scale photos of the chain’s Hacienda Alsacia, its coffee and research farm in Costa Rica.

With such sparse seating, the cafe’s concrete floors were more obvious. Harsh lighting didn’t help the store’s appearance either.

A large seating area now has even more seats, plus a gallery wall and lighting with less glare.

Source: Starbucks

The location now features much more seating near the entrance. Leather accents to the wraparound booth make the seats more comfortable. The tables are easily movable and at an accessible height for wheelchair users.

Starbucks also brought back the electrical outlets that disappeared in prior makeovers. Now customers who want to study or work from the location can charge their laptops or phones, encouraging them to stay longer.

Large area rugs bring a cozy touch, in addition to dampening some of the cafe’s ambient noise. Live plants also add to the homey vibe of the space.

Tweaks to the location include adding high-top tables and bar stools for more seating options.

Source: Starbucks

High-top tables, positioned closer to the barista bar, offer a seating option for customers looking to sit down with companions. The makeover adds 16 more seats to the location.

Starbucks also changed out its lightbulbs to soften the store’s lighting and reduce glare, giving it a warmer atmosphere. The improved lighting helps highlight an existing mural, seen on the right of the photo above.

Starbucks added a shelving unit that highlights its coffee beans.

Source: Starbucks

Behind the barista bar, the company added a large shelving unit that highlights bags of its coffee, plus decorative burlap sacks that hold beans. Touches of purple are a nod to the nearby New York University.

Customers waiting to pick up their drinks can sit off to the side. Previously, the area was a standing bar that wasn’t accessible to wheelchair users.

In addition to adding rugs, Starbucks also improved the location’s overall insulation to cut down on the clamor of a busy coffee shop. For baristas, the change means that conversations among customers are less likely to disturb their work, whether that’s hearing an order correctly or focusing on making a latte.

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Toy sellers’ keep close watch on under 16s social media ban

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Toy sellers’ keep close watch on under 16s social media ban


Kevin PeacheyCost of living correspondent

Getty Images A Lego creation of a Formula 1 car and driver taken from above.Getty Images

The link between toys and sports has proved successful for the sector

UK toy sales have risen for the first time in five years, but sellers are braced for the potential impact of any social media ban for under-16s.

The value of toy sales rose by 6% last year, compared with the previous year, according to research company Circana, bringing some much-needed cheer for a sector that has struggled since the pandemic.

The rebound has been driven by the so-called kidult market – which relates to players over the age of 12, some of whom are influenced by trends on social media.

But experts gathered at the annual Toy Fair in London on Tuesday said that films, video games and playground chat could still help push further growth in 2026.

Cost of living pressures have loomed over families in recent years, although spending on children – particularly at Christmas – has remained a priority for many.

Covid lockdowns brought a boost to the sector when toys and games became central to keeping children and adults entertained at home.

Sales dipped since then, until last year when the number of toys sold rose by 1% compared with 2024, according to Circana.

With kidults spending more, the value of sales rose by 6% – the first increase since 2020, according to Circana. It valued the UK market at £3.9bn last year.

Melissa Symonds, executive director of UK toys at Circana, described last year as a “clear turning point” for the sector.

Cinema, streaming, video game and sport tie-ins – such as Minecraft and Formula 1 – all proved successful.

Symonds said that excluding the unusual circumstances of the pandemic, last year recorded the first organic growth since 2016.

Social media trends

Kidults accounted for 17% of the toy market in 2016, but this had risen to 30% by last year.

Building sets, predominantly Lego, has appealed to adults, but trends amplified on social media have also led to a 12% growth in collectibles across generations. Pokémon, K-Pop Demon Hunters, and Hello Kitty have all proved to be “market-moving trends”, according to Circana.

Symonds said the industry would be considering the impact of the social media ban for under-16s in Australia, and the potential for a similar ban in the UK.

She said manufacturers and retailers may need to reconsider how some of these toys were marketed if bans were brought in more widely.

Kerri Atherton, from the British Toy and Hobby Association – which is hosting its annual trade fair at London’s Olympia, said it was still too early to know what the fallout would be.

She described 2025 as a pivotal moment for the UK toy sector, but said businesses and consumers still faced financial challenges going into 2026.



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Bank of England must ‘be very alert’ to Trump tensions, says governor

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Bank of England must ‘be very alert’ to Trump tensions, says governor



The governor of the Bank of England has said the central bank has “to be very alert” to the potential impact from heightened geopolitical tensions as President Donald Trump seeks to seize control of Greenland.

Andrew Bailey told MPs at Parliament’s Treasury Committee that the tensions would have consequences for global financial stability.

However, he highlighted that the Bank believes global financial markets have been “more muted” in response to Mr Trump’s plans and his threats to hit opposing countries with tariffs.

Earlier this week, the President said the UK and other countries pushing back would face 10% tariffs on all products from next month, with this to increase to 25% from June 1, until a deal is reached for Washington to purchase Greenland.

On Tuesday, Mr Bailey said: “The level of geopolitical uncertainty and geopolitical issues is a big consideration because they can have financial stability consequences.

“Let me put that in a bit of context in two respects. One, having said that, growth in the world economy was a lot more stable than we thought it would be.

“The second point is about financial markets and is a fairly similar point, that we worry considerably about how markets react to those things.

“Market reactions have actually been more muted than we would have feared and expected.

“Overriding those points, I take neither of those as a point of assurance. We have to be very alert to these things.”

Financial markets have been weaker so far this week as investors and traders digest Mr Trump’s tariff threats, which would cause further trade disruption.

The FTSE 100 Index dropped by around 120 points soon after opening on Tuesday, falling by 1.2% to 10,075 points.

This followed a 0.4% fall on Monday while Germany’s Dax and France’s Cac 40 also slid in value.



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Silver prices soar! White metal adds over Rs 85,000 so far in 2026; is it the right time to buy? – The Times of India

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Silver prices soar! White metal adds over Rs 85,000 so far in 2026; is it the right time to buy? – The Times of India


Silver made a stellar debut in 2026, soaring over 35%, or nearly Rs 85,000 per kg, investors rush towards the precious metal amid tightening supplies and escalating geopolitical tensions involving the US, Iran and Greenland. The white metal’s momentum further strengthened after MCX silver futures decisively crossed the Rs 3 lakh per kg milestone. During the latest trading session, prices advanced by more than 2.5%, rising nearly Rs 8,000 to settle at Rs 3,19,949 per kg. The fresh uptick followed renewed strains between the US and the European Union after US President Donald Trump threatened to acquire Greenland and impose punitive tariffs on Europe. Here’s what experts are sayingAamir Makda, commodity and currency analyst at Choice Broking, told ET, “silver at $94 per troy ounce, a level once considered unthinkable, is driven by a “perfect storm” of industrial scarcity and geopolitical shifts. Looking at Technical charts, we are expecting further upward momentum in Silver and immediate support would be at 20-DEMA level placed at Rs 255,100,” Makda, however, flagged early signs of fatigue in the rally. “Although in recent sessions, with a price up move, a bearish RSI divergence has emerged, and it is a classic “Red flag” warning,” he said, explaining that while prices are making new highs, the underlying momentum is weakening. He also highlighted a drop in open interest to 9,850 lots in the March contract, even as prices climbed, indicating long unwinding in silver. Traders holding long positions, he said, should consider booking profits at current levels. Jigar Trivedi, senior analyst at Reliance Securities, said the market may now enter a phase of time-based consolidation. While he acknowledged the possibility of near-term consolidation, Trivedi said the prevailing political and geopolitical environment could still push prices higher, potentially towards the psychological level of $100 per ounce. He noted that the broader international trend remains firmly bullish, though the risk–reward equation currently stands evenly balanced at 1:1 after the sharp rise over the past 13–14 months. In rupee terms, he identified Rs 3,30,000 per kg as the next important resistance. From an investment lens, the recent breakout is being seen as part of a longer-term structural trend rather than a short-lived spike. Justin Khoo, Senior Market Analyst at VT Market, said the move is supported by supply constraints and strong industrial demand, particularly from solar energy, electronics and electric vehicle segments. While elevated prices increase volatility, he said investors should focus on strategic positioning instead of chasing record highs. Tactical profit-taking may suit short-term traders, but for long-term investors, he said silver continues to act as a hedge against inflation and market uncertainty. Khoo added that the broader approach should be to buy on meaningful declines while maintaining core holdings, with risk management remaining central. Although the trend still points to further upside, disciplined entry and exit strategies are increasingly important at current levels. Akshat Garg, head of research and product at Choice Wealth, said new investors could consider silver ETFs as part of a diversified multi-asset portfolio to tap into the metal’s structural strengths. Existing investors, he said, should avoid exiting at current levels, as the underlying support remains intact.Garg further added citing experts that new investors should allocate 5–10% to silver and gold ETFs within a broader portfolio, viewing the exposure as diversification rather than a momentum-driven trade. Existing holders, he said, should remain invested through volatility, as institutional flows, ETF participation and long-term fundamentals continue to provide support through 2026. Analysts also point to silver’s dual identity as both a monetary hedge and an industrial commodity. With more than half of demand now coming from sectors such as solar power, electric vehicles, data centres and electrification, and with supply constrained by limited mine output and recycling, the market remains tight. This structure, they say, positions silver to potentially outperform gold during growth phases while still offering protection during volatile periods.(Disclaimer: Recommendations and views on the stock market, other asset classes or personal finance management tips given by experts are their own. These opinions do not represent the views of The Times of India)



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