The store was declared open with the release of a hundred Costa balloons by James Bryce, deputy director, UK Trade & Investment and actress Neha Dhupia.
This was followed by brewing the first cup of coffee with the signature '100' motif design, which will be replicated across its stores in the celebration period.
Costa's 100th store at Carter Road introduces the new contemporary design aesthetic of Costa that reflects changing customer preferences and profiles and conveys a distinctly youthful vibe and a global verve in its brand new look. The store maintains the Costa international design aesthetic but adds a number of spatial dimensions to enhance customer experience within the store. Besides the look and feel, the modifications also reflect in the new menu and the expanded range of food options, frozen desserts and snacks at attractive price points and localised taste.
UK-based Costa Coffee is the first international coffee chain to set up business in India in September 2005 partnering with Devyani International Limited [DIL], which has a large footprint in the retail food and beverages business in India. Costa has since built a strong foundation for its expansion in India with DIL which has provided thrust and penetration in markets that requires a keen understanding of local conditions. Beginning with its first store opening in Connaught Place in New Delhi, Costa Coffee has since established itself in markets in major metros and Tier-I cities across India with stores in Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Jaipur and Agra, and today serves over 4 million cups of coffee a year to happy customers across its stores in India.
Speaking on the occasion, Ravi Jaipuria, chairman, RJ Corp, which owns DIL, credited the robust Costa-DIL partnership as a factor in its successful run in India and said, "Costa Coffee enjoys strong brand recognition in India in just over six years of operations in the country and its future is extremely promising in view of the market growth in the coffee drinking sector," adding that the group was looking to open another 100 stores over the next 24 months.
Costa Coffee is one the world's fastest growing coffee chains adding over 120 new outlets each month. With 3,987 stores and machines worldwide, Costa plans to triple the footprint by 2015-2016. Much of this growth will come from the brands expansion in the emerging markets like China, Russia, North Africa and of course, India. Costa's reputed coffee quality and consistency of offerings has been a major reason for the brand's strong growth and recognition across the world, while meeting the challenge of maintaining its traditional brand values even as it operates in diverse environments.
"India is a success story for Costa Coffee and some of our learning here makes for a stronger pitch for Costa in emerging markets," said Andy Marshall, managing director, international markets, Costa. Confirming that the buoyant showing of the chain in the country only meant a greater commitment to faster expansion in India, he said, "Of the 100 Costa stores that exist today, 65 stores have come up in just the last two years."
Costa Coffee has grown dynamically on the back of a diligent research and operation model that focuses on value accretion through customer engagement at different levels. Costa has also continually experimented with its product offerings to appeal to local tastes and habits and the result has been an exponential increase in the variety of its food offerings at different price points and varying degrees of customer tastes.
Correspondingly, Costa Coffee has developed new product lines in the food section that has satisfied demand for more filling items at lunch and dinner times and range of snacking options for the in between times.
In terms of its coffee offerings, Costa has consistently created new benchmarks in coffee quality and it is now the only chain in India to use 100 per cent RFA certified coffee in India.
