Mumbai: Starbucks inaugurated its first store in India on Friday in a historic building in southern Mumbai as the Seattle-based coffee giant seeks growth in a market long associated with tea drinkers.
"It is perhaps the most elegant, beautiful, dynamic store we've opened in our history," chief executive Howard Schultz said in an interview.
After over six years of studying the local market, Starbucks is making a rapid-fire entry into Asia's third-largest economy. Coffee houses are still a relatively new trend in India, and the chains already in business sell cappuccinos and lattes well below Starbucks' usual prices.
The company, in a joint venture with Tata Global Beverages, plans to open two additional stores in Mumbai next week " on Wednesday in the Taj Mahal Palace hotel and on Thursday in the Oberoi hotel across town " before launching in New Delhi early next year....
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05:55 PM, Oct 19, 2012
1. The New Brew in Town For those who take their cup of caffeine seriously, there's good news. Starbucks, the world's biggest coffee brand, is likely to make its Indian debut in the first half of 2012. A formal announcement of their retail JV with Tata Coffee is likely next month and those in the know say a search for the country head is underway and an appointment is imminent....
03:23 PM, Jan 04, 2012
