New Delhi, September 21: Starbucks has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Tamil Nadu government to set up its first Global Capability Centre (GCC) in India in Chennai. The centre will support Starbucks’ existing technology centres in Seattle and Nashville and is expected to create high-paying employment opportunities for 800 technology professionals, according to a statement from the Tamil Nadu government.
The GCC will operate independently of Starbucks’ retail business in India, which operates as a joint venture with Tata Consumer Products. The MoU was signed in the presence of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, Starbucks Chief Technology Officer Anand Varadarajan and state Industries Minister S Keerthana.
Varadarajan said Chennai’s large pool of skilled technology professionals, along with the Tamil Nadu government’s infrastructure and incentives, would help Starbucks develop new solutions and expand its business. Varadarajan is also an alumnus of IIT Madras. Chief Minister Vijay said Starbucks’ decision to set up its GCC in Tamil Nadu reflected the capabilities of the state’s workforce.
The agreement comes a week after US company Walgreens signed an MoU with the Tamil Nadu government to establish its GCC in the state. According to the latest Nasscom-Zinnov GCC Landscape report, Chennai is home to more than 405 GCCs, although Bengaluru and Hyderabad have a larger number of such centres.
Also Read: Microsoft Launches Fourth Indian Cloud Region In Hyderabad
