Global coffeehouse chain Starbucks introduced tea as a core offering in 88 stores in the country under the brand Teavana.
“We had nine teas on offer and are doubling that with the launch of Teavana speciality teas. We are looking at attracting newer customers with our focus on tea, and are looking to double tea sales at our Starbucks stores,” Sumitro Ghosh, CEO of Tata Starbucks, told Pixr8.
Last year, Starbucks Chairman and CEO Howard Schultz described India as a “major business opportunity” during his visit here and announced the introduction of speciality teas in the country in 2017.
In June last, Starbucks announced several joint initiatives in the country along with its joint venture partner Tata Sons, including expanding the market of Himalayan Mineral Water, and providing job skills training and Starbucks expertise in retail operations to over 3,000 youth, besides launching Teavana.
Tata Starbucks is planning to launch a mobile application targeting its loyalty programme customers this year. In India, Starbucks operates under a 50:50 joint venture with Tata Global Beverages.