MUMBAI, India – The U.K.-based food and coffee chain Pret A Manger launched on Friday (April 21) its first store in India. The outlet at Maker Maxity, Bandra-Kurla Complex, in Mumbai, is a recreation of the brand’s iconic London shops with a large dining space spread across an area of 2,567 square feet.
Pret is partnering with a unit of Reliance Brands Limited (RBL), a subsidiary of Reliance Retail, which is owned by India’s richest man Mukesh Ambani.
A total of 10 Pret A Manger stores are planned in India in the first year of the franchisee partnership.
RBL MD Darshan Mehta said: “Our partnership with Pret A Manger aims to tap into this curiosity with an offering that we can proudly say – ensures traceability of coffee beans as much as a zero additive approach to food.”The shops will be aimed at “the new Indian consumer”, Mehta added.
Pano Christou, CEO of Pret A Manger, said: “Coming to India has been a goal of ours for a long time, and the opening of our first shop in Mumbai is a landmark moment in our international expansion plans. We’re confident that with the support of RBL, the Pret brand will be a hit with consumers in India and a welcome addition to the country’s growing food-to-go market.”
Several coffee brands and chains have started operations in India recently.
The brand will compete with players of the likes of Starbucks Coffee, which has a joint venture with the Tata Group, the Coca-Cola Co.-owned Costa Coffee, and Canadian coffee and baked goods chain Tim Hortons, which opened two stores in Delhi-NCR in August 2022, with plans to open a total of 120 stores in India over the next three years.
Established in 1986 in London, Pret A Manger now operates around 550 shops in countries, including the UK, US, Hong Kong, France, Dubai, Switzerland, Brussels, Singapore and Germany.
