Protests over the arrest of two afro men after being told to walk out of Starbucks in Philadelphia has&nbsp;led to a brief shutdown of the&nbsp;coffee shop.&nbsp;

During the early demonstration that forced the store to close, protesters called the mammoth coffee chain "anti-black." The store reopened hours later.

Starbucks Corp Chief Executive Kevin Johnson hopes to meet with the two afro men arrested at one of its Philadelphia cafes last week to apologise for the incident, which has sparked accusations of racial profiling at the coffee chain.

The men, who had not made a purchase, were handcuffed and arrested for trespassing on Thursday after a store manager called 911 and reported them for refusing to leave. Witnesses said the men were calmly sitting in the cafe and in a widely viewed video, some patrons asked police whether they were targeted because they are black.

Police released the men, who were not charged.

"The circumstances surrounding the incident and the outcome in our store on Thursday were reprehensible ... they were wrong," Johnson told ABC's Good Morning America on Monday, amid protests and calls for a boycott on social media.

The men, who have not been identified, initially asked to use the restroom inside the Starbucks on Thursday but were told the cafe's bathrooms were for customers only. They then occupied a table without making a purchase, which many observers have noted is a common occurrence at the franchise's locations.

The female manager who reported the men to police has left the company, a Starbucks representative said.

The incident came at a time when the company is grappling with flat traffic and lacklustre sales growth at its more than 14,000 U.S. cafes. It is a high-profile public relations test for Johnson, a former technology executive who took the helm at Starbucks roughly a year ago.

Johnson, who was interviewed from Philadelphia, said it was "completely inappropriate to engage the police." He added that Starbucks would conduct training to prevent unconscious bias.

Representatives for the two men could not immediately be reached.

(With inputs from Reuters)

During the early demonstration that forced the store to close, protesters called the mammoth coffee chain 'anti-black.' The store reopened hours later

Protests over the arrest of two afro men after being told to walk out of Starbucks in Philadelphia has led to a brief shutdown of the coffee shop. During the early demonstration that forced the store to close, protesters called the mammoth coffee chain "anti-black." The store reopened hours later. Starbucks Corp Chief Executive Kevin Johnson hopes to meet with the two afro men arrested at one of its Philadelphia cafes last week to apologise for the incident, which has sparked accusations of racial profiling at the coffee chain. The men, who had not made a purchase, were handcuffed and arrested for trespassing on Thursday after a store manager called 911 and reported them for refusing to leave. Witnesses said the men were calmly sitting in the cafe and in a widely viewed video, some patrons asked police whether they were targeted because they are black. Police released the men, who were not charged. "The circumstances surrounding the incident and the outcome in our store on Thursday were reprehensible ... they were wrong," Johnson told ABC's Good Morning America on Monday, amid protests and calls for a boycott on social media. The men, who have not been identified, initially asked to use the restroom inside the Starbucks on Thursday but were told the cafe's bathrooms were for customers only. They then occupied a table without making a purchase, which many observers have noted is a common occurrence at the franchise's locations. The female manager who reported the men to police has left the company, a Starbucks representative said. The incident came at a time when the company is grappling with flat traffic and lacklustre sales growth at its more than 14,000 U.S. cafes. It is a high-profile public relations test for Johnson, a former technology executive who took the helm at Starbucks roughly a year ago. Johnson, who was interviewed from Philadelphia, said it was "completely inappropriate to engage the police." He added that Starbucks would conduct training to prevent unconscious bias. Representatives for the two men could not immediately be reached. (With inputs from Reuters)

US: Protests over arrest of two African-American men at Starbucks heightens, shop closes briefly

Starbucks Chief Executive Kevin Johnson apologised late on Saturday for the arrests of two Afro-Americans at a Philadelphia coffee shop last week, which sparked accusations of racial profiling.

Promising to make everything right, Johnson promised a thorough investigation of the incident caught on video by a patron Thursday and shared widely online.

The men were accused of trespassing but have said they were waiting for a friend before ordering.

"The video shot by customers is very hard to watch and the actions in it are not representative of our Starbucks mission and values," Johnson said in a statement.

He added, "The basis for the call to the Philadelphia police department was wrong."

Philadelphia`s police commissioner on Saturday defended the arrest, saying his officers had to act after Starbucks employees told them the pair were trespassing.

Video of Thursday`s incident showed other patrons telling officers the pair were doing nothing wrong and appeared to have been targeted merely because of their race.

Police Commissioner Richard Ross said he knew the incident had prompted a lot of concern, but said his officers "did absolutely nothing wrong."

In a video statement, Ross said store employees called 911 to report a disturbance and trespassing.

When officers arrived, Ross said, staff told them the two men had wanted to use the restroom but were informed it was only for paying customers. The pair repeatedly refused to leave when politely asked to do so by the employees and officers, he said.

"If you think about it logically, that if a business calls and they say that someone is here that I no longer wish to be in my business, they (the officers) now have a legal obligation to carry out their duties. And they did just that," Ross said.

"They were professional in all their dealings with these gentlemen, and instead they got the opposite back."

Ross said that as an African-American man he was acutely aware of implicit bias. "We are committed to fair and unbiased policing and anything less than that will not be tolerated in this department," he said.

The two men were released, Ross said, after officers learned Starbucks was "no longer interested" in prosecuting them.

In a post on Twitter earlier on Saturday, Starbucks Corp said it was sorry for what took place.

Johnson added his apology, saying the company would review its policies and "further train our partners to better know when police assistance is warranted."

Melissa DePino, an author who posted video of the arrest, said staff called police because the two men had not ordered anything while waiting for a friend. She said white customers were "wondering why it`s never happened to us when we do the same thing."

Police departments across the United States have come under criticism for repeated instances of killing unarmed Afro-Americans&nbsp;in recent years, which activists blame on racial biases in the criminal justice system.

The men were accused of trespassing but have said they were waiting for a friend before ordering.

Starbucks Chief Executive Kevin Johnson apologised late on Saturday for the arrests of two Afro-Americans at a Philadelphia coffee shop last week, which sparked accusations of racial profiling. Promising to make everything right, Johnson promised a thorough investigation of the incident caught on video by a patron Thursday and shared widely online. The men were accused of trespassing but have said they were waiting for a friend before ordering. "The video shot by customers is very hard to watch and the actions in it are not representative of our Starbucks mission and values," Johnson said in a statement. He added, "The basis for the call to the Philadelphia police department was wrong." Philadelphia`s police commissioner on Saturday defended the arrest, saying his officers had to act after Starbucks employees told them the pair were trespassing. Video of Thursday`s incident showed other patrons telling officers the pair were doing nothing wrong and appeared to have been targeted merely because of their race. Police Commissioner Richard Ross said he knew the incident had prompted a lot of concern, but said his officers "did absolutely nothing wrong." In a video statement, Ross said store employees called 911 to report a disturbance and trespassing. When officers arrived, Ross said, staff told them the two men had wanted to use the restroom but were informed it was only for paying customers. The pair repeatedly refused to leave when politely asked to do so by the employees and officers, he said. "If you think about it logically, that if a business calls and they say that someone is here that I no longer wish to be in my business, they (the officers) now have a legal obligation to carry out their duties. And they did just that," Ross said. "They were professional in all their dealings with these gentlemen, and instead they got the opposite back." Ross said that as an African-American man he was acutely aware of implicit bias. "We are committed to fair and unbiased policing and anything less than that will not be tolerated in this department," he said. The two men were released, Ross said, after officers learned Starbucks was "no longer interested" in prosecuting them. In a post on Twitter earlier on Saturday, Starbucks Corp said it was sorry for what took place. Johnson added his apology, saying the company would review its policies and "further train our partners to better know when police assistance is warranted." Melissa DePino, an author who posted video of the arrest, said staff called police because the two men had not ordered anything while waiting for a friend. She said white customers were "wondering why it`s never happened to us when we do the same thing." Police departments across the United States have come under criticism for repeated instances of killing unarmed Afro-Americans in recent years, which activists blame on racial biases in the criminal justice system.

Starbucks chief executive apologises for arrests of two Afro-American men

Starbucks chairman Howard Schultz is stepping down as CEO to focus on new high-end coffee shops, handing over to chief operating officer Kevin Johnson, PTI reported.

Schultz, 63, will continue to serve as chairman of the board and will be the executive chairman from April 2017.

In the new role, Schultz will focus on the &quot;next wave of retail innovation&quot;, design and development of Starbucks Reserve Roasteries around the world, expansion of the Starbucks Reserve retail store format and social impact initiatives, the company said.

&quot;I will remain Starbucks executive chairman, focusing full-time on the incredible growth opportunities we have in expanding Roasteries and building out our portfolio of Reserve stores and on Starbucks social impact agenda which will be a significant part of the focus going forward,&quot; PTI reported Schultz as saying in a media conference yesterday.

Schultz is credited with doubling the company&#39;s revenues since he returned for his second stint in 2008, surpassing USD 20 billion for the first time over the past 12 months.

Starbucks now has 25,000 stores in 75 countries, including India.

Schultz&#39;s career spans 33 years in the technology industry - a 16-year career at Microsoft and in 2008, he was appointed to the National Security Telecommunication Advisory Committee of Presidents George Bush and Barack Obama.

Schultz said that the Roastery has &quot;become a learning laboratory for breakthrough innovation and experiential design and a beacon for the next wave of Starbucks global growth and evolution.&quot;

&quot;We share a passion for customer-focused innovation and a commitment to preserving Starbucks heritage. Our complementary backgrounds my entrepreneurial journey building Starbucks and Kevin&#39;s decades spent scaling global businesses will continue to help Starbucks navigate this new period of worldwide growth and innovation,&quot; he said about Johnson.

(WION with inputs from PTI)

Schultz, 63, will continue to serve as chairman of the board and will be the executive chairman from April 2017

Starbucks chairman Howard Schultz is stepping down as CEO to focus on new high-end coffee shops, handing over to chief operating officer Kevin Johnson, PTI reported. Schultz, 63, will continue to serve as chairman of the board and will be the executive chairman from April 2017. In the new role, Schultz will focus on the "next wave of retail innovation", design and development of Starbucks Reserve Roasteries around the world, expansion of the Starbucks Reserve retail store format and social impact initiatives, the company said. "I will remain Starbucks executive chairman, focusing full-time on the incredible growth opportunities we have in expanding Roasteries and building out our portfolio of Reserve stores and on Starbucks social impact agenda which will be a significant part of the focus going forward," PTI reported Schultz as saying in a media conference yesterday. Schultz is credited with doubling the company's revenues since he returned for his second stint in 2008, surpassing USD 20 billion for the first time over the past 12 months. Starbucks now has 25,000 stores in 75 countries, including India. Schultz's career spans 33 years in the technology industry - a 16-year career at Microsoft and in 2008, he was appointed to the National Security Telecommunication Advisory Committee of Presidents George Bush and Barack Obama. Schultz said that the Roastery has "become a learning laboratory for breakthrough innovation and experiential design and a beacon for the next wave of Starbucks global growth and evolution." "We share a passion for customer-focused innovation and a commitment to preserving Starbucks heritage. Our complementary backgrounds my entrepreneurial journey building Starbucks and Kevin's decades spent scaling global businesses will continue to help Starbucks navigate this new period of worldwide growth and innovation," he said about Johnson. (WION with inputs from PTI)

Starbucks' Howard Schultz to step down as CEO

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US: Protests over arrest of two African-American men at Starbucks heightens, shop closes briefly

Starbucks chief executive apologises for arrests of two Afro-American men

Starbucks' Howard Schultz to step down as CEO