Brands
Tata Starbucks charts its steady growth plan
KOLKATA: Starbucks, which formed an equal joint venture (JV) with Tata Global Beverages in 2012 and since then has opened around 53 outlets in the country, is on a steady growth.
“Starbucks is on a steady growth and we are very happy with the way the brand has been built and the experience of Starbucks is spreading across as a very premium cafe in the Indian context,” said Tata Global Beverages (TGBL) MD Ajoy Misra.
Also, the company, which is looking at the premium segment, agreed that at present it might not look at the mid-segment but hinted that going forward it may move that segment as well.
Tata Global Beverages chairman Cyrus Mistry in response to a shareholder’s query during the annual general meeting in Kolkata said that the company is looking at the premium segment and at this point of time not actually looking at mid-segment. “But that does not stop us from looking at this in the future,” he said.
“Tata Starbucks recorded strong growth and it continues to increase the number of stores. Today it is currently in Mumbai, Delhi, Gurgaon, Poona, Bangalore and Chennai. The store count is currently 53 and continuously growing,” he added.
“We are a company that is in the branding business. We are a company that is talking about strengthening brands, creating brands, creating new products, strengthening the product formulation around the consumer needs,” said Misra while talking about the philosophy of the brand.
Globally, the world’s largest coffee chain, Starbucks, runs more than 20,000 coffee stores across 64 countries, serving more than 70 million customers per week.
Brands
Lululemon picks former Nike executive to be its next chief
Heidi O’Neill, who helped grow Nike into a $45 billion giant, will take the top job in September
CANADA: Lululemon has found its next chief executive, and she comes with serious credentials. The athleisure giant named Heidi O’Neill as its new CEO on Wednesday, ending a search that has left the company running on interim leadership since earlier this year. O’Neill will take charge on September 8, 2026, based out of Vancouver, and will join the board on the same day.
O’Neill brings more than three decades of experience across performance apparel, footwear and sport. The bulk of that time was spent at Nike, where she was a central figure in one of corporate sport’s great growth stories, helping take the company from a $9 billion business to a $45 billion global powerhouse. She oversaw product pipelines, brand strategy and consumer connections, and played a significant role in shaping how Nike spoke to athletes around the world. Earlier in her career, she worked in marketing for the Dockers brand at Levi Strauss. She also brings boardroom experience from Spotify Technology, Hyatt Hotels and Lithia and Driveway.
The board was unequivocal in its enthusiasm. “We selected Heidi because of the breadth of her experience, her demonstrated success delivering breakthrough ideas and initiatives at scale, and her ability to be a knowledgeable change and growth agent,” said Marti Morfitt, executive chair of Lululemon’s board.
O’Neill, for her part, was bullish. “Lululemon is an iconic brand with something rare: genuine guest love, a product ethos rooted in innovation, and a global platform still in the early stages of its potential,” she said. “My job will be to accelerate product breakthroughs, deepen the brand’s cultural relevance, and unlock growth in markets around the world.”
Until she arrives, Meghan Frank and André Maestrini will continue as interim co-CEOs, before returning to their previous senior leadership roles once O’Neill steps in.
Lululemon is betting that a Nike veteran who helped build one of the world’s most powerful sports brands can do something similar for an athleisure label that has genuine love from its customers but is still chasing its full global potential. O’Neill has done it before at scale. The question now is whether she can do it again.
