Starbucks Opens First Store in India

 Starbucks Opens First Store in India

The world's largest coffee chain, U.S.-based Starbucks Corporation has opened its first store in India. The move comes at a time when coffee is winning new fans in India, traditionally a tea-drinking country.

From a 370 square-meter outlet¹ spread over two levels in an upscale Mumbai neighborhood, Starbucks began serving its first cappuccinos and lattes in the Indian market.

Both in its décor and products, the Starbucks flagship store has an Indian touch. There are vintage trunks, hand carved-wooden screens and tables of Indian teak.

The coffee it serves is prepared with coffee beans grown in India. Some food items such as chicken tikka Panini, cardamom croissants, and tandoori cottage cheese rolls have a local flavor. And to suit the pockets of a cost-conscious market, Starbucks has priced some products lower than in other countries - it will sell a "short" espresso for a little more than $1.50.

Chief executive of Starbucks, Howard Schultz, who came for the store's opening Friday night, called it "perhaps the most beautiful, elegant and dynamic store we have opened."

Starbucks comes to India in alliance with an Indian partner, Tata Global Beverages². It must compete with a host of coffee chains - both local and international - that are already established in India.

Although India is traditionally a tea-drinking country, over the past decade, cafes have become the new social hot-spots, particularly among young people.

The chairman of an industry body, the India Coffee Trust, Anil Bhandari says "out-of- home" coffee consumption has grown phenomenally - it doubled in the decade up to 2010. He says there is plenty of room for new chains to grow.

"Coffee drinking is on the crest³ of a major wave in this country and Starbucks is coming just in time, just at the right time to ride that crest," said Bhandari.  "You have a 250-300 million middle class in this country, so that I don't think there is any dearth⁴ of mass of consumers for Starbucks."

Starbucks will have to catch up with coffee chains that have already spread across the country. The biggest coffee chain, Café Coffee Day, has over 1,300 stores. Starbucks will build its presence slowly - it is opening two new outlets⁵ in five-star hotels in Mumbai next week. And it will open its first store in the capital, New Delhi, next year.

Pratichee Kapoor at Technopak consultancy in New Delhi says Starbucks will be able to make quick inroads because it has a "great brand pull."

"Being an international chain they will have an edge," said Kapoor.  "Plus just going to a Starbucks and carrying a Starbucks cup itself brings you in consumers mind, gives them some sort of edge, even whether it is buying their merchandise, buying their coffee or the fact that they have visited Starbucks or they have tried Starbucks coffee, the brand has a great resonance⁶ in consumer's mind. So I think, it should not be difficult for them to carve a niche⁷."

Starbucks comes to India at a time when growth is slowing in the United States and Europe. Chief executive Howard Schultz says that the Asia Pacific region has emerged as a key driver for growth and that India, along with China, lies at the core of that strategy.

1 outlet   

n.出口/路；销路；批发商店；通风口；发泄

参考例句：

• The outlet of a water pipe was blocked.水管的出水口堵住了。
• Running is a good outlet for his energy.跑步是他发泄过剩精力的好方法。

2 beverages   

n.饮料( beverage的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• laws governing the sale of alcoholic beverages 控制酒类销售的法规
• regulations governing the sale of alcoholic beverages 含酒精饮料的销售管理条例

3 crest   

n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖

参考例句：

• The rooster bristled his crest.公鸡竖起了鸡冠。
• He reached the crest of the hill before dawn.他于黎明前到达山顶。

4 dearth   

n.缺乏，粮食不足，饥谨

参考例句：

• There is a dearth of good children's plays.目前缺少优秀的儿童剧。
• Many people in that country died because of dearth of food.那个国家有许多人因为缺少粮食而死。

5 outlets   

n.出口( outlet的名词复数 )；经销店；插座；廉价经销店

参考例句：

• The dumping of foreign cotton blocked outlets for locally grown cotton. 外国棉花的倾销阻滞了当地生产的棉花的销路。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They must find outlets for their products. 他们必须为自己的产品寻找出路。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 resonance   

n.洪亮；共鸣；共振

参考例句：

• Playing the piano sets up resonance in those glass ornaments.一弹钢琴那些玻璃饰物就会产生共振。
• The areas under the two resonance envelopes are unequal.两个共振峰下面的面积是不相等的。

7 niche   

n.壁龛；合适的职务(环境、位置等)

参考例句：

• Madeleine placed it carefully in the rocky niche. 玛德琳小心翼翼地把它放在岩石壁龛里。
• The really talented among women would always make their own niche.妇女中真正有才能的人总是各得其所。