Tata Starbucks forays into Gujarat with 5 store openings

Tata Starbucks has entered into the western state of Gujarat with the launch of five stores in the cities of Surat and Ahmedabad. The Seattle-based coffee chain now has 157 outlets in 10 cities including Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Hyderabad, Chennai and Bengaluru, among others.

The company is planning to open more than 30 outlets in India in the current financial year. This will be the largest number of store additions by the coffee chain in a year since it launched its first outlet in the country in Mumbai in 2012.

In India, Starbucks is operating through a 50:50 joint venture with Tata Global Beverages started its first store in India in October of 2012. The company added 25 stores in the country in the financial year 2017-18, and another 30 in the financial year 2018-19.

Navin Gurnaney, CEO, Tata Starbucks Private Limited, said, “So two years ago we built 25 stores, last year we did 30, and the plan this year is to substantially exceed last year’s number. We will open more stores in FY 20 than in any other year in the past in India.”

India is one of the top five fastest growing markets for the coffee chain globally.

“And we remain committed to the growth plans. We will be thoughtful but we will be aggressive as we go forward,” Gurnaney added.

The company invests Rs 1.5 crore to Rs 2 crore in opening a new outlet in the country. Starbucks will continue making such investments as it rolls out more cafes at malls, busy markets, metro stations, airports and office complexes.

Gurnaney stated, “We are going to rely on depth in the market where we exist already and breadth as we go out to new cities and states.”