Greece’s Coffee Island to make India debut in December 2024

Coffee Island’s outlet in New Delhi | Photo credit: Coffee Island

Greece’s largest branded coffee chain has announced it will open its first store in India in December 2024 as part of an ongoing international expansion push. 
 

Speaking at a media event marking the brand’s 25th anniversary, Coffee Island CEO Konstantinos Konstantinopoulos said the coffee chain will follow its first New Delhi outlet with a local production facility in India by the end of 2025.  

Patras-based Coffee Island said it will be the first coffee chain from Continental Europe to establish a foothold in India’s ‘burgeoning coffee market’, which is increasingly garnering investment from international brands seeking to tap into rising coffee consumption among a growing middle-income demographic. 

Canadian coffee giant Tim Hortons and UK coffee and food-to-go chain Pret A Manger have both significantly scaled their footprints in the country this year – reaching 35 and 18 stores since launching in India in August 2022 and April 2023 respectively.  

Tim Hortons has set a goal of reaching 120 stores in India by 2026, while JAB Holding-backed Pret A Manger is seeking to reach 100 outlets in the country by 2028. 

France’s Bagelstein, Indonesia’s Kopi Kenangan and Belgium’s Le Pain Quotidien have all also outlined plans to launch in India within the next six months. 

Highlighting growing demand for boutique hospitality experiences in India, EL&N and Armani/Caffe both debuted in the country within the last three months in partnership with Indian retail conglomerate Reliance Brands. 

India also has a thriving domestic coffee segment, with specialty chains Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters, Third Wave Coffee, First Coffee and Subko Coffee Roasters all receiving new investment within the last 18 months to significantly scale their footprints. Additionally, small-format chain abCoffee and value-focused Nothing Before Coffee have also used new funding to accelerate outlet growth, reaching 77 and 75 stores respectively. 

Founded in 1999, Coffee Island currently operates over 450 outlets in Greece and a further 50 across nine international markets, including Cyprus, the UK, Egypt and the UAE. When opened, India will be Coffee Island’s second market debut of 2024 following Hong Kong in July. 

Coffee Island, which reported a turnover of €36.9m ($39.1m) in 2023, has also signed a master franchise agreement to enter France in 2025.