California-based CBTL says creative agency Volume will lead its digital strategy across India — an increasingly ‘important and emerging market’ for the coffee chain
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The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Select CityWalk Mall, New Delhi | Photo credit: CBTL India
The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (CBTL) India has appointed Delhi-based media agency Volume as its new Creative and Digital Partner.
Volume, which was selected following a multi-agency pitch, will develop the coffee chain’s creative and digital strategy across the country, which CBTL India described as an ‘important and emerging market’.
California-based CBTL entered India in 2008 with a store at the Select CityWalk in Delhi and now operates approximately 30 Indian outlets.
“We are delighted to have Volume on board as our India Agency. India being an important and emerging market, it is a great opportunity to showcase consumers of The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf experience,” said Ranjit Talwar, Commercial Director, CBTL India.
Rakesh Krishnotula, creative head of Volume, said the partnership presented ‘a unique opportunity’ to put ‘the CBTL experience across the Indian market’.
In May 2023, Indian media reported CBTL was seeking new franchise partners in India in a bid to expand its footprint and keep pace with an increasingly competitive pool of international branded coffee chains.
Fellow US coffee chain Starbucks, which opened its first store in India in 2012, operates 333 stores across 41 cities in India. Following its full-year results in April 2023, Tata Starbucks said it was ‘looking to rapidly expand its presence in the coming years’.
UK-based Costa Coffee also has ambitious growth plans within the Indian market, with franchise partner Devyani International seeking to scale the coffee chain’s 115-strong footprint over the next 12 months.
Tim Hortons, which entered India in August 2022, has reached 17 stores across the country and plans to reach 120 Indian stores by 2026.
Additionally, coffee and food-to-go chain Pret A Manger is seeking to open 100 outlets across India within five years following its market entry in April 2023 with Reliance Brands Limited.