Existing players like Barista. Costa Coffee. Cafe Coffee Day, and Barnic's would be introducing saleable gimmicks to augment their presence in what is already a crowded market-place. all in anticipation of international trendsetter Starbucks' debut in 2007 in India. Delving into the minds and hearts of even coffee connoisseur. Barista and Cafe Coffee Day have amassed a formidable grip on the market. With Britain-based Costa Coffee full of (coffee?) beans and looking to set up 300 cafes over five years. Starbucks would be disinclined to lag behind. The 1)11, group has forayed into the coffee culture with an initial investment of Rs. 20 crore and branches in several cities and 30 old locations more in Mumbai.

Barista too plans to add another 100 outlets to the tune of Rs. 50 crore taking the brew to file smaller towns and plugging the gap wherever necessary. "We plan to expand to 20 new towns like Rajkot. Nashik, Mysore. Patna. Jantshedpur, and Udaipur and will invest Rs. 35 crore to add 100 outlets," Partha Dattagupta. CEO of Barista Coffee Co. said. Barista is running second behind Cafe Coffee Day in the race for pole position. and it scents the Delhi-based coffee connoisseur aspirants are desperate to make up ground and then sonic more before the arrival of Starbucks into the equation.

To make the bargain irresistible, the company introduced games and music kiosks and incorporated WIPi kiosks access in over 35 locations for the upwardly mobile. All this with a dash of scrumptious eatables making it a perfect sumptuous brunch or supper supplement and the teeming masses of young and business executives aren't exactly complaining when it conies to stockpiling their plate high up with a cornucopia of exotically named goodies.

Barnie's has one of the biggest settip and expansion plans in India, aiming to open 300 stores in the next five years. The indigenous player. Cafe Coffee Day (the biggest in India) has concrete plans on the anvil to open doors of 168 outlets by June 2007 taking the total number of its chain to 500. Every outlet requires an investment of Rs. 30-35 lakh which explains the sheer size and scale of the company and this is in keeping with their status as top dog of the coffee cuppa.

While the existing players consolidating their businesses, USbased coffee retail giant Starbucks Corporation is planningtoenterIndia in 2007.

To sweeten the pill, other competing companies might incorporate addons for its customers to gather more market share and it is better later than never for once the ubiquitous US biggic makes a telling entry and lands some brew-sing blows to the opposition.

Starbucks shall be contemplating many tic-ups and collaborations for the locations within the country. It would zero down with outlets in Delhi and Mumbai. Bagging the dubious distinction of being the second most populated country, with more than a billion people and still growing at an alarming rate, Starbucks surely looks to have its cup of joys glow over for the coffee crazy horde.

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