Starbucks to arrive in India next month

There might not be a Hindi translation of Frappucino, but they better come up with one soon, because India is getting its first Starbucks. Next month in a posh neighborhood in Mumbai.

India might traditionally be the land of tea, says the BBC’s Rahul Tandon. But judging from the many similar coffee shops already bustling in certain neighborhodds around the country, the beverage might just be ready to concur the India palate.

The already existing coffee shops in India operate at the higher end of the market, and the arrival of Starbucks fits in with the lifestyle of many upwardly-mobile Indians — used to traveling abroad and having Starbucks wherever they go, according to Tandon.

“Expect to see many, many more opening up across India in the next few months,” he predicts.

Recent controversy in India has surrounded the arrival of big chains like Walmart and Tesco — with the anger even erupting in protests. But this particular company hasn’t been met with resistance, and probably won’t, says Tandon.

“I think in this sector of the market,” Tandon adds, “where we’re looking at single brands that are coming in, there doesn’t seem to be opposition because they’re not really competing with the established retail sector that already exists here.”