AKIPRESS.COM - Coffee chain Starbucks is to close more than 8,000 company-owned branches in the US for an afternoon next month to carry out "racial bias" training.

The aim is to prevent discrimination in Starbucks stores. The move comes after the firm had to apologise over last week's arrest of two black men who were waiting to meet someone in a Starbucks in Philadelphia. Following the incident, protesters converged on the store and there were calls for a boycott of Starbucks, BBC reported.

Nearly 175,000 staff will receive the training, as will all future recruits. The closure could cost an estimated $20m in lost sales.

The training will "address implicit bias, promote conscious inclusion, prevent discrimination and ensure everyone inside a Starbucks store feels safe and welcome", the company statement said. 

In last Thursday's incident, two black men were waiting in a Philadelphia Starbucks to meet someone and had not bought anything when the store manager called police.

Amateur video showed police placing the pair, who were accused by shop staff of trespassing, in handcuffs.

"All the other white people are wondering why it's never happened to us when we do the same thing," tweeted customer Melissa DePino, who posted a video of the incident.