Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance opens UK’s coffee & sandwich chain Pret-A-Manger in India, to rival Starbucks

Those who have been to the UK, may have most likely noticed the omnipresence of a particular coffee and sandwich chain. No, not Starbucks. There’s a Pret A Manger, or Pret as it’s fondly called, everywhere you go in the UK.

The chain has now entered India with their first store in Bandra’s Maker Maxity under a master franchise partnership with Reliance Brands*. One more store in Mumbai’s Palladium Mall and another in Gurugram’s CyberHub will be rolling out two in quick succession.

A total of 10 ‘Pret A Manger’ stores are planned in India in the first year of the franchisee partnership between Reliance Brands Limited, a subsidiary of Reliance Retail, and the British chain which was announced last year.

Pret’s chief executive Pano Christou said its offering in the country will reflect the company’s brand “while also adapting to local preferences and food habits”.

Several coffee brands and chains have started operations in India recently. Canadian coffee and baked goods chain Tim Hortons 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 at a total investment of Rs 240 crore.

Meanwhile, Tata Starbucks, the most dominant player in the space, has 275 stores across 30 cities. The 50:50 JV between Tata Consumer Products and American coffee chain Starbucks launched 50 new stores in FY22, the highest ever in a year for the company.