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US coffee chain Starbucks plans global tech centre in India
Chennai accounts for roughly a tenth of the GCC base in India, according to the state government
Reuters, Chennai
Published: 21 Sep 2026, 05:44 PM
Photo: Reuters
US coffee chain Starbucks has signed a pact to set up a global capability centre (GCC) in the southern Indian city of Chennai and hire roughly 800 technology professionals, the Tamil Nadu state government said on Monday.
The government did not disclose the investment
figure.
Starbucks, which has roughly 500 cafes in India
through its joint venture with Tata Consumer Products, did not respond to a
request for comment outside office hours.
The move comes days after US pharmacy chain
Walgreens signed a pact with Tamil Nadu to establish a GCC in the state's
capital, already home to tech centres of global business groups including
Citi, Barclays and American Express.
Chennai accounts for roughly a tenth of the GCC
base in India, according to the state government.
The availability of a skilled workforce, lower
attrition and good infrastructure would help the coffee chain, Starbucks
technology chief Anand Varadarajan said, according to a state government press
release.
India has emerged as the world's largest GCC hub,
with more than 2,100 centres employing about 2.36 million people and
generating nearly $100 billion in revenue, according to a 2026 report by
Nasscom-Zinnov.
GCCs have moved beyond low-cost back-office support,
with corporates using these centres to support headquarters through higher-value
functions such as finance and software development, as well as research and
development.