Barista Lavazza to roll out 300 stores in 3 yrs

Keeping up with its plans of opening 100 stores every year, Cafe chain Barista Lavazza is all set to roll out 300 coffee shops in the next three years. Out of these, the company plans to have 30 highway stores across the country.

"Our mid-term plans are to open 100 stores every year, according to which, we plan to open 300 stores in the next three years. All these stores will be owned by the company," said Sanjay Coutinho, chief operating officer, Barista Lavazza at the launch of its 100 per cent vegetarian offerings in Ahmedabad.

The company also plans to expand its services in Gujarat with 12 stores across the state this year at an investment of Rs 6 crore. "We observed the increased preference in Ahmedabad for vegetarian food, which prompted us to launch the 100 per cent vegetarian menu here. Gujarat being an important market, we are planning to open 12 new stores in places like Surat and Vapi this year, including four highway stores. Ahmedabad already has three outlets and will get two more this year, offering 100 per cent veg menu," Coutinho said.

The new range includes vegetarian sandwiches, wraps, cookies, muffins and desserts. Besides the eggless delicacies priced between Rs 40 and Rs 99, the company has also introduced 'Escape to Italy', a range of beverages that includes pro-biotic yoghurt and 'size zero' frappe.

The initiative is part of the company's strategy to introduce a new menu every quarter.

Barista has over 230 espresso bars and cremes in over 30 locations in India and a presence in Sri Lanka and the Middle East. The company saw a growth rate of 25 per cent last fiscal, according to Coutinho.

The company was acquired by Italy's sixth largest coffee roaster in the world, Lavazza in 2007. Lavazza has a 46.5 per cent share in the Italian retail market and operates in over 80 countries. In 2008, Lavazza's sales was USD 1.6 billion.