Starbucks to close 12 Alabama stores

SEATTLE (AP) _ Starbucks Corp. has named all 600 company-owned stores it plans to close in a bid to boost its business and weed out unprofitable locations.

12 of the stores are in Alabama. They include five in Mobile, two in Birmingham, one each in Huntsville, Homewood, Vestavia Hills, Orange Beach and Gulf Shores.

Closing the stores is a turnabout from Starbucks’ aggressive expansion plans. The coffee chain is responding to recent declines in its profits and foot traffic as the faltering economy has led some consumers to question their spending on pricey java.