Caribou Coffee locations in Iowa will not be affected by closures

Caribou Coffee locations in Iowa will not be affected by the company's decision to close 80 stores this month.

The Minneapolis-based company announced on Monday plans to close the stores on April 14, but specific locations were not announced. Spokeswoman Blythe Posner confirmed Tuesday that no Iowa locations will be part of the closures.

A stand-alone Caribou Coffee is located in Coralville, and cafés are also located inside Hy-Vee stores on Oakland Road NE in Cedar Rapids and Waterfront Drive in Iowa City. Another café is planned for the new Physicians Clinic of Iowa building in downtown Cedar Rapids.

Mike Tattersfield, president and CEO of Caribou Coffee, said in a statement that the 80 stores that will close were “underperforming.” He said an additional 88 coffeehouses in Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Georgia, Illinois, eastern Wisconsin and Washington D.C. will be converted to Peet's Coffee & Tea locations within 12 to 18 months.

Once the changes are made, 468 Caribou Coffee locations will exist.

"Over the past few months, we at Caribou have revisited our business strategy, including closely evaluating our performance by market to make decisions that best position us for long-term growth,” Tattersfield said in the statement.