Global coffee retail chain Starbucks announced plans to set up a global capability centre in Chennai, which is expected to create 800 new jobs. The company signed a memorandum of understanding with the Tamil Nadu government to establish the centre.
According to a statement, this marks the first time Starbucks is setting up a global capability centre in India, with Tamil Nadu chosen as the location for the expansion. The new entity will operate independently of Starbucks retail business joint venture in India with Tata Consumer Products.
Starbucks Coffee Chief Technology Officer Anand Varadarajan stated that the availability of skilled talent in Chennai and lower attrition rates were among the factors that influenced the company decision to establish the global capability centre in Tamil Nadu.
India Global Capability Centre Growth
India has become a leading global destination for global capability centres, and the country now hosts 2,117 such centres operating across 3,728 units. The number of GCCs has grown 32% since FY2021, while the segment now employs around 2.36 million professionals and generates $98.4 billion in annual revenue.
This is also reflected in the hiring pattern among the global capability centres. A study by specialist recruitment firm Xpheno noted that in fiscal year 2025, global capability centres recruited 110,000 candidates, which was 10,000 more than traditional IT services companies.
In fiscal year 2026, global capability centres hired 180,000 candidates, which was 60,000 more than IT services companies.
The growth of global capability centres is also reflected in the kind of companies setting up their centres in India. While United States based multinationals were among early adopters, the trend has now expanded to companies from Europe and Japan.
Additionally, mid tier companies and startups in developed countries, especially in the United States, are setting up global capability centres in India.
These global capability centres have also moved up the value chain, where many such units have become key centres coming out with new solutions along with managing entire functions from India.
