Ahmedabad: Seattle-based coffee chain Starbucks will simultaneously open five stores in the cities of Surat and Ahmedabad in Gujarat. Starbucks has 157 outlets in 10 cities including Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Hyderabad, Chennai and Bengaluru, among others. Starbucks that operates in the market through a 50:50 joint venture with Tata Global Beverages opened its first store in India in October of 2012.

Starbucks flagship store at Prahlad Nagar in Ahmedabad will offer customers more vegetarian food options.

In financial year 2017-18, the company added 25 stores in India, and another 30 in financial year 2018-19.

“So two years ago we built 25 stores, last year we did 30, and the plan this year is to substantially exceed last year’s number,” said Navin Gurnaney, CEO, Tata Starbucks Private Limited.

“We will open more stores in FY 20 than in any other year in the past in India,” he added. Since April Starbucks has opened 11 stores in India.

Starbucks typically invests Rs 1.5 crore to Rs 2 crore in opening a new outlet in India.