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Coffee lovers in India may have to wait a little bit longer before they can sip on a latte at the neighborhood Starbucks store.
The Seattle-based coffee retailer’s much-awaited entry into India, originally scheduled for August or September this year, has been pushed back.
Tata Starbucks Ltd.–the joint venture of Starbucks and Tata Global Beverages Ltd 500800.BY +0.64%.—now plans to open the first stores by the end of 2012, beginning with Mumbai and Delhi, according to a joint statement from the Tata Group company and Starbucks in response to questions from India Real Time.
In January, Starbucks set up the joint venture with Tata Global Beverages to own and operate Starbucks cafes across India.
The interest over Starbucks’ entry has been intense as India has remained one of the last untapped markets for the iconic coffee chain, which came to Thailand in the 1990s and Indonesia in the 2000s.
Global brands are increasingly opening in India to tap its young demographic and growing middle class. Dunkin’ Donuts, for instance, opened its first store in Delhi in May this year.