Costa stays on expansion path

Despite rising coffee prices and a general slowdown in urban consumption, Costa Coffee will maintain its growth rate in India, expecting the country to become one of its top five markets within the next five years, its top executive said.

- Suneera Tandon

India is currently in the top 10 of the British coffee chain's markets.

"We're definitely not moderating our growth rhythm (in India). We are satisfied with the growth rate over the last couple of years. We continue to be committed to further expansion. We've now opened over 200 stores in India. We're planning to add the same run rate of 40 to 50 new outlets annually," Philippe Schaillee, Costa Coffee's global CEO said in an interview on Wednesday.