Tata Starbucks CEO says on track to expand to 1,000 stores by 2028

This presents an opportunity to create a category and grow it, he says, adding that the company is now equipped with the knowledge and strategies for success, which have also been integrated into its financial model.

This will help in maintaining financial stability even if there are changes in terms of the product mix.

The coffee chain, with presence in 60 cities, recently opened a store in Varanasi.

The last two and a half years have been about rapid expansion for Tata Starbucks, with the brand nearly doubling its store count during the period.

Currently, Starbucks has 4,300 partners. “We will double that. We will be having 8,600-8,700 partners,” Dash said.

Tata Starbucks also intends to innovate on its food offerings, which currently make up for around 17-18% of the total revenues.

Dash hopes to open 2 reserve stores in the coming year between Mumbai and Delhi.

In January this year, Global CEO Laxman Narasimhan opened up about his grand plans for India forming part of the third leg of the coffee chain’s global stool.

Last year, Starbucks India opened one store every five days; it now wants to get this to one store every three days. But it’s what it plans to do in the two days in between, where the “magic is really happening”, he said in an interview with CNBC-TV18’s Shereen Bhan.