By next year, 40 per cent of our workforce will be women: Sushant Dash, Starbucks
Tata Starbucks is aggressively expanding its footprint in newer markets along with a focus on gender parity, says CEO Sushant Dash
Tata Starbucks is set to complete 10 years in India this year. The brand is aggressively expanding its footprint and launching stores in newer markets.
It recently launched a limited-edition merchandise in partnership with designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee. The collection features a range of lifestyle drinkware including ceramic mugs and stainless-steel tumblers depicting Toile de Jouy with native flora and fauna.
As part of the partnership, Tata Starbucks and Sabyasachi have come together to support ‘Educate Girls’—a non-profit organization with a focus on working towards improving girls and young women’s education across rural India providing the support they need to develop their skills and find careers.
What is the idea behind the brand's association with Sabyasachi for the merchandise line?
“The idea was not to look at it as a merchandise collaboration but to do it for a certain purpose. As part of Tata Starbucks commitment to empowering girls and young women, we have a rich relationship with Educate Girls, and I am thrilled our work has resonated with Sabyasachi,” says Sushant Dash, Tata Starbucks CEO.
The organization also takes pride in being among the first to ensure gender and pay parity. The chain has over 2,000 employees.
“By next year, 40 per cent of our workforce will be women. We have 100 per cent pay parity as well,” Dash says.
At present, women comprise nearly 34 per cent of the Starbucks workforce. Moreover, over a dozen of the outlets are managed by all-women staff, Dash says.
Dash terms Starbucks' decadal growth as “phenomenal”.
The brand entered the Indian market in 2012 through a Joint Venture with Tata Consumer Products and currently operates 270 stores in India across 26 cities. Over 50 stores were opened in the last fiscal year itself, many of them being at airports and highways.
Meanwhile, the coffee chain launched several new flavours of beverages and products which struck the chord with coffee lovers. It launched its first Bake – in store, in Mumbai last December.
