The American coffeehouse chain Starbucks has announced a reduction in corporate staff, as communicated by the company's CEO, Brian Niccol, in a letter to the team. According to Reuters, Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol announced that the company intends to execute layoffs due to unsatisfactory sales results for the past year.

Global coffeehouse chain Starbucks will cut corporate jobs as new CEO Brian Niccol continues to implement changes to bolster lagging sales and improve profitability.

Starbucks said Friday it plans an unspecified number of layoffs as it restructures its corporate staff. In a letter to employees, Starbucks Chairman and CEO Brian Niccol said the Seattle coffee giant needs to ensure all work has a clear and accountable owner who can make decisions. The company also needs to reduce complexity and silos.

Starbucks reported first-quarter results that were better than expectations, though sales at the coffee chain still fell.

Chairman and CEO Brian Niccol, who joined the company in September, said customer-focused changes - such as a decision to stop charging extra for non-dairy milk and a streamlining of the menu - were helping to improve service and drive store traffic.