Are food chains awaiting retail FDI to set up shop?
New Delhi , May 22 IS the absence of any concrete roadmap on foreign investment in the retail sector making multinationals wary of investing in India just yet? Several global food and beverage chains have delayed setting up shop in the country over the last 8-10 months, despite announcing detailed investment plans and operational blueprints earlier. Whether it is Britain’s largest coffee chain Costa Coffee, or the fast food chain Dixy Chicken, both companies appear to have delayed their entry into India. Even Papa John’s, the third largest pizza company in the US, has kept its India plans close to its chest and does not plan to arrive here till 2006. Take the case of Costa Coffee. Last October, Whitbread Plc had signed a franchise agreement with the Delhi-based R.K. Jaipuria Group for opening Costa Coffee outlets across the country. Whitbread had also announced plans to establish its first roastery outside Britain in India. However, about seven months down the line, not a single Costa
