Kahini Chakraborty – Mumbai
US-based Krispy Kreme has massive expansion plans in the India market. The company has tied up with Citymax Hotels, the hospitality division of Dubai-based retail and hospitality conglomerate Landmark Group to open Krispy Kreme outlets across South and West India. Speaking to Food & Hospitality World on the expansion plans, Kabir Lumba, managing director, Lifestyle International- Landmark Group said, “We are planning to open 80-100 outlets across South and West India in the next four-five years. Presently the focus is on first establishing 20-25 outlets by end of this financial year. So far, it has been an aggressive roll out of the brand with the company opening 13 outlets across Chennai (one outlet) and Bengaluru (11 outlets), and now opening its first store in Mumbai at Hiranandani Gardens Powai. After the Powai launch, we also plan to open outlets in other premium locations of Mumbai by mid November.”
When asked about the investments, Lumba refrained from divulging details, but mentioned, “The investments will have to be adjusted depending on the needs of the markets. We are here for the long term and the investment is huge as there is a lot of commitment. Going forward, the plan is to first establish the brand in the big metro cities and then enter into the Tier II and Tier III cities. We see potential to open outlets in Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Kochi, Vijayawada, Coimbatore and many others.”
Elaborating on the market demands and marketing strategies planned, Peter King, vice president, Asia Pacific, Krispy Kreme Corporation said, “We have done a lot of research on the India market. And after understanding the needs and the market demographics, we have introduced eggless recipes for the India market. We have also localised our products. For our expansion we plan to work closely with our master franchisee partner. I don’t think doughnuts are that well known in India hence we need to educate and communicate to the market about the brand. We will be investing considerably in our marketing.”