Starbucks says cutting shop staff in favour of automation has failed

Starbucks is planning to hire more baristas, get them to work more hours at its coffee shops and roll back its embrace of automation, as the company’s new leadership battles to turn the chain around. Brian Niccol, who joined Starbucks as chief executive last September, has vowed to “fundamentally change” the company’s strategy in order to win back customers. In a call with investors on Wednesday, he acknowledged that reducing the number of staff members in outlets had backfired. “Over the last couple of years, we’ve actually been removing labour from the stores, I think with the hope that equipment…