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Starbucks says it will close down over 8,000 branches across the United States for an afternoon next month to carry out 'racial bias training'.

It follows protests and calls to boycott the company after two black men were arrested in one of its Philadelphia branches. The pair were sitting there waiting for a friend before ordering their coffee.

The closure of the stores could cost an estimated $20 million in lost sales.

(Photo: A protester holds a sign outside a Starbucks store. Credit: Getty Images)