Three weeks into its India debut, Tim Hortons is off to a flying start: the Canada-based coffee company is clocking a daily average sale of Rs 5 lakh in its outlet in the Select Citywalk Mall in New Delhi, according to two sources.
On August 12, Tim Hortons made its India debut with two outlets in the National Capital Region (NCR) – one each in Select Citywalk and DLF’s retail and eatery destination CyberHub in Gurgaon.
On Thursday evening the Tim Hortons outlet in Select Citywalk was teeming with customers and many waiting for tables. Bang opposite a Starbucks outlet was also chock-a-block.
Navin Gurnaney, Chief Executive, Tim Hortons in India, said he will have his public relation agency call IndiaRetailing with their comment. We will include their comment whenever it comes.
A market watcher said it is too early to figure out whether Tim Hortons’ initial rocking sales figures could sustain or is it just an early euphoria. He cited examples of brands including H&M, Johnny Rockets among others who clocked impressive sales on their debuts in India and then sales gradually petered out.
He said Tim Hortons sales in Select Citywalk could be affected since the Canadian company this week opened another outlet in Green Park that is barely six kilometres away.
Tim Hortons, owned by Canada’s largest quick service restaurant operator (QSR) Tim Hortons Inc., comes to India in a franchisee partnership with AG Café, a joint venture entity owned by Apparel Group and Gateway Partners. Apparel Group was formerly known in India as Major Brands India and the Tim Hortons outlet in Select Citywalk has come up in the around 1,500 sq ft space that was previously occupied by La Senza, a Canadian lingerie brand marketed in India by Major Brands.
AG Cafe holds the master franchise rights for Tim Hortons for India, Bangladesh and in the Gulf Cooperative Council that has markets including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
