People create their own coffee order at a Starbucks shop. And they can make their own stuffed toy at a Build-A-Bear Workshop store. These two companies have been making big news in the business world.
A stock is one part of a company. And the stock price depends on what people think the business is worth. Stock prices show how valuable investors think a company is. Demand for a company's stock increases when investors are feeling positive about a company’s future growth. That drives the price upward. But the stock price can go down if buyers feel negatively. The stock market is where people buy and sell these stock shares. News-O-Matic gives an update each month on how two companies did on the market.
Starbucks (Symbol: SBUX)
Starbucks is a well-known coffee
. The company has more than 40,000 stores worldwide. But that number is falling slightly. Brian Niccol,
of Starbucks, announced on September 25, that the company will be closing more than 100 coffee shops around the United States. The leader also shared that about 900 employees lost their jobs.
These changes come just one year after Niccol became the CEO of Starbucks. He had a plan to bring more customers back to the coffee shops after low sales in 2023 and 2024. Starbucks’ stock was high from January through March of 2025. But the price has fallen more recently. And it went down more after Starbucks’ September announcement.
Starbucks’ stock began September at $89.78 per share. It has ended at $84.43. Niccol said Starbucks is “making good progress” but “there is much more to do.” He believes the steps Starbucks is making “are necessary to build a better, stronger, and more resilient Starbucks.” And he hopes that closing coffee shops will help the business open new and improved stores in the future.
Build-A-Bear (Symbol: BBW)
People have been creating cuddly and cute stuffed toys at Build-A-Bear Workshop stores for more than 25 years. Maxine Clark opened the first store in a mall in Saint Louis, Missouri. Clark didn’t want shopping there to feel like any other store. She wanted it to be an experience.
Now many people remember picking out materials and watching their toys get stuffed. Leaders at the company say these happy memories are one reason Build-A-Bear has continued to see success while other stores common in shopping malls are struggling.
Build-A-Bear shared a money report for the second part of 2025 on August 28. The report concluded that the first half of the year brought in record-breaking for the business, reaching $252.6 million. Build-A-Bear CEO Sharon Price John told the newspaper CNBC that the company’s success “isn’t an accident, and it often takes years of planning to be able to weather difficult situations.”
Build-A-Bear has been able to make plans to stay strong against challenges like and falling rates of mall shoppers. But John did add that the company also has luck. “I think that we’re in the right place at the right time,” she said. Stuffed animals, personalized items, and adults shopping for “kid” items are all popular now. Build-A-Bear's stock has gone up over the past year, and that remained true especially after the positive report. The stock began the month of September at $59.63. It ended the month at $65.13.
By Hannah Marcum
Updated September 30, 2025, 5:00 P.M. (ET)
