Jan 17 (Reuters) - Starbucks ( SBUX ) CEO Brian Niccol

said on Friday the coffee giant will cut jobs to optimize its

support teams as part of the company's ongoing turnaround

efforts.

The details of the job cuts, to be announced by early March,

will not affect the company's in-store teams or the investments

it makes in store hours, he added.

Niccol, the former Chipotle Mexican Grill head, who

is four months into his new role at Starbucks ( SBUX ) has set forth a

raft of measures to improve the coffee chain's business, which

took a hit from increased competition and weakening demand in

the U.S. and China.

"Our size and structure can slow us down, with too many

layers, managers of small teams and roles focused primarily on

coordinating work," Niccol said in a statement, adding that he

will examine the role, structure and size of support teams

globally.

The company suspended forecast for its fiscal year 2025 in

October and laid out plans to overhaul its U.S. locations,

adding more comfortable seating, ceramic mugs and a

coffee-condiment bar, with customer wait times of less than four

minutes.

On Thursday, Starbucks' ( SBUX ) lead independent director on its

board, Mellody Hobson, said she would retire after nearly two

decades with the company.