Starbucks' India journey begins Sep

Starbucks Coffee plans to open around 40 stores by end of this year of which equal number of stores will come up at hotels and high street malls.  

Starbucks along with its joint venture partner Tata Group have already signed 14 properties across New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai. Its debut store will come up at Mumbai in the coming three to four months. They are looking at opening a couple of stores initially in each of the cities.

The properties finalised in hotels include the Ambassador and President hotels under the Vivanta by Taj label. Besides properties that come under the Tata label, they are also in talks with brands like Marriot for opening stores.

Investment to the tune of Rs 100-150 crore will be infused this year alone. The coming years will see an additional investment of about Rs 400 crore being pumped in. In the initial stage, the stores will have a blending of the lounge as well as takeaway facilities.