Starbucks will establish its first GCC in India in Chennai, with the centre expected to create approximately 800 technology jobs, the Tamil Nadu government said on September 21. Starbucks signed a pact with the state government for the Centre, with Guidance Tamil Nadu, the state’s investment promotion agency, involved in the agreement.
The centre will operate independently of Starbucks’ retail business partnership with Tata Consumer Products in India. Starbucks has roughly 500 cafes in the country through the joint venture, according to Reuters.
Starbucks Chief Technology Officer Anand Varadarajan said Chennai has a large pool of skilled technology professionalsand cited employee retention, infrastructure and incentives offered by the Tamil Nadu government as factors supporting the company’s decision.
Varadarajan said these factors would help Starbucks develop new solutions and expand its business. He made the comments during the MoU signing event in Chennai.
The Chennai announcement follows Starbucks’ earlier plan to establish its first corporate technology office in India. Bloomberg reported in May that the company was planning the office for fiscal 2027 and expected to begin recruiting after selecting a location.
The May report said Starbucks was seeking to bring some technology roles performed by external contractors back in-house. It also reported that the company was working to reduce its reliance on external service providers.
The Chennai GCC will be separate from Starbucks’ retail operations in India, which are run through its joint venture with Tata Consumer Products. The new centre adds a corporate technology operation to Starbucks’ existing presence in the country
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