First Starbucks outlet to open in Bangalore

Famed coffee retailer Starbucks will soon open its first outlet in Bangalore.

Starbucks, which has joint venture with Tata Global Beverages, parent of Tata Coffee will open its outlet in Bangalore on November 22.

Addressing mediapersons here on Wednesday, Group President, Starbucks Coffee China and Asia Pacific John Culver said: "I think we are very proud that we have now operated in India for over a year, we have nearly thirty stores, and we are in the process of opening up in Bangalore on Friday, and we are very excited in the way in which Indian consumers have embraced Starbucks."

Culver also said that the business had exceeded expectations and the company would continue to invest in India.

"As I said business here has exceeded our expectations and through our partnership with TATA we have been able to navigate the complexities of doing business here in India and we are very pleased with the partnership and we are going to continue to make investments here and do business the right way," said Culver.

Starbucks opened its first flagship store in Mumbai in 2012. The coffee retailer now runs stores in Mumbai, New Delhi and Pune.

Keeping in mind the glorious history and rich culture of the city, the store would brew coffee and serve a variety of snacks of international standards to crunch and munch while not missing out on the pulse of the Indian palate.

Starbucks had opened its store in New Delhi on February 6, 2012.

Reportedly, the brand aims to have 50 outlets through a tie-up with the Tata group, the country's biggest manufacturing and trading conglomerate.

The Seattle-based chain of Starbucks, known much for the trendy urban lifestyle, it represents as its costly cups of coffee, enters a market with a fast-growing middle class and plenty of competition in the small but fast-growing coffee segment.

Starbucks Corp had initially planned to have its first cafes in India open by mid-2011 but was delayed by difficulties in acquiring real estate and high land costs-a common problem for chain stores in a country where more than 90 percent of retail is conducted at one-off mom-and-pop shops.

While the tie-up has taken advantage of the Tata group's sprawling presence by opening cafes in hotels owned by the Tata group and its allied retail outlets, it is also looking at other locations such as malls, railway stations, airports and offices.