INDIA – Tata Starbucks, a 50:50 joint venture company, owned by Tata Consumer Products and Starbucks Corporation, is expanding its footprint in India with launch of new stores in six smaller cities.
Cities to finally have a taste of Starbucks coffee include — Siliguri, Nashik, Guwahati, Thiruvananthapuram, Goa, and Bhubaneswar.
A statement from the company revealed that the launch was part of the company’s goal to have a presence in smaller cities that heretofore have not had the chance to host the company’s unique store fronts.
“Tata Starbucks is grounded in growing with its partners and customers together and thus expanding our footprint in India is a matter of great pride for us,” Tata Starbucks CEO Sushant Dash said.
With these new additions, the company now operates 252 Starbucks stores in 26 cities across India.
The brand is also making its first appearance in the states of Assam, Goa, and Odisha, it said.
“The stores are a fusion of the signature Starbucks warm and welcoming design and the city’s local culture and craftsmanship, serving as an extension of the neighborhoods we serve,” Tata Starbucks said.
As demand for coffee surges across India, Tata Starbucks has been taking advantage of the trend to expand its presence in the Asian nation.
“We have continued to grow over the last 12 to 18 months, and we are now at around 240 stores in 20 cities, with around 2,000 partners at the store level,” says Sushant Dash, Tata Starbucks president.
The company saw sales grow 128 percent last quarter and delivery revenue — earnings from home deliveries — rise 17 percent, he added.
Riding on the growth seen in 2021, Starbucks aims to hasten its India expansion with smaller stores and drive-through outlets.
Both the partners “are driving Tata Starbucks to be far more aggressive in store openings, new formats, and in entering new cities,” Sunil D’Souza, said in a past interview.
“All we’ve got to figure out is how quickly we can scale,” said D’Souza. “We have got a window of opportunity because the competition is on the back foot.”
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