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Sindhu J. Bhattacharya

New Delhi , May 27

GLOBAL Franchise Architects (GFA) is planning to invest $3 million in expanding the premium coffee lounge bar, Coffee World, in India. The company has decided to enter the Mumbai market with two stores next month and add its second store in Bangalore at the same time.

Mr Anoop Sequeira, the Chief Operating Officer of GFA, told Business Line, "We plan to invest $3 million in expanding the Coffee World premium coffee lounges across the country this year. The first outlet in Bangalore is already profitable and our aim is to ensure that each new outlet becomes a profit centre."

GFA operates two retail ventures — Pizza Corner and Coffee World - in India, and plans to bring in two more ventures it has developed globally: sandwich chain `New York Deli' and premium ice-cream parlour chain `The Cream & Fudge Corporation.' Mr Sequeira said both these brands would be in India later this year.

He said that GFA has decided to develop different retail ventures in India and Thailand and then launch these globally.

For example, Pizza Corner was conceptualised and launched from India and was the first retail venture of GFA. This concept is now being taken overseas.

In a reversal of the general trend which has seen many multinationals explore market potential in China before descending on Indian shores, Pizza Corner will be opening in China, Sri Lanka and Dubai soon with an investment of about $9 million (around Rs 40 crore).

Coffee World was developed in Thailand and is now being brought to India.

After eight years of operations in India, Pizza Corner is expected to break even next fiscal, Mr Sequeira said, adding that the chain is targeting 100 per cent growth to 60 outlets by December.

However, he declined to divulge the turnover of GFA.

On why GFA has brought the premium coffee lounge bar concept to India, after the bitter lessons learnt by Barista and Café Coffee Day in terms of the price-value equation, Mr Sequeira said these would compete with the 5-star coffee shops in terms of products which are lower priced.

"We are not looking at teenage clientele for Coffee World. This is a premium lounge, and several corporate clients and expats have shown keen interest in the concept in Bangalore," he said.

On the premium ice-cream chain, he said the concept was still being finalised and that the first outlet would come up in the South, simultaneous with its international launch.

Again, he stressed that while the look and taste of the ice-creams would be "premium," this chain would use a novel way to dish out the products.

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