Starbucks India, a JV between Starbucks and the TATA Group, has been on an expansion spree over the past 18 months. The newest store in India for the world’s largest coffee retail chain is in the bustling port city of Vishakapatnam, fondly known as Vizag.
This is the second city for the brand to open in the state of Andhra Pradesh after Hyderabad, the state capital. Starbucks operates over 360+ cafes across India.
The store design has been created to visualise a relaxed and comfortable space, with beach house inspired walls and ceiling.
Staircase fins, opulent pendent lights and railing adorn the decor of the cafe. The two storeyed outlet is set up with a craft bar engine and merchandise options to welcome guests on the ground floor. The first floor offers a more quieter and private space for conversations and the much needed personal time.
The material palette has been carefully curated around blonde wood tone, balanced with marble quarry paint finishes, concord tan flooring, terracotta walls and black metal fins.
Ceiling takes Ratan texture between wood finished beams to create the Starbucks magic, as in the case of many such stores worldwide.
After the mass closure of cafes run by the then largest cafe chain Cafe Coffee Day with over 1,500+ cafes ever since the untimely demise of its Founder Late Shri VG Sidhartha, there has been a huge void in the branded coffee cafe business.
Starbucks entered India in 2012 with a equal joint venture with the Tata Group. Until 2019, the company operated <200 cafes and was carefully choosing locations and cities to expand. Though the pandemic lockdown added misery to cafe chains across India,
Starbucks has ever since proven to be the front runner in the industry, to become the largest cafe chain in India, with the highest footprint of outlets.
CCD currently operates around 350+ cafes in the country, while Costa Coffee and Barista Coffee operate over 100 cafes each. Tim Hortins from USA was launched in India in 2022 while UK-based Pret A Manger was launched by Reliance Retail earlier this year.
Starbucks operates over 32,000 cafes in 80+ countries worldwide. The company crossed Rs. 1,000 Cr in its Indian revenues during FY 2022-23.
Including the mom-and-pop run cafe chains, there are an estimated 3,000+ coffee outlets in India currently. The estimated size of the cafe industry, which includes in-cafe dining for coffee and delicacies, is said to be over Rs. 6,000 Cr (USD 725 Mn) annually.
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