Starbucks Coffee looks to gain steam in India
“Time is right for us to be successful with the coffee segment growing at 20% every year,” John Culver, Starbucks Coffee president, China and Asia Pacific, told FE. The company is competing with many established local and international coffee chains, with the largest being Café Coffee Day that has more than 2,000 outlets.
With the inauguration of its first outlet in New Delhi last week, Starbucks has seven outlets in the country now. “We will open outlets at all the places our customers want us to show up,” Culver said. He said the firm is open to establishing outlets from 200 sqft retail space to 4,000 sqft outlets. “It is the exact opposite of the trend seen in the West.”
According to Culver, unlike in the West, where 70% of the customers visit the store between 6-11 am, preferring a coffee on the go, the Asia-Pacific region sees business happening after 11 am. “We always respect local cultures and tastes. Even with these unique differences, it will finally boil down to the Starbucks experience,” he said.
There is a lot of pent-up demand here, Culver said, adding that the coffee chain will be able to sustain it by providing
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