The MoU was signed in the presence of Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, Industries Minister S. Keerthana, Industries Secretary S. Vijayakumar and Guidance CEO‑MD Deepak Jacob, the state agency that drives investment projects.
Guidance, acting as the nodal agency, facilitated the deal after the Industries Minister reportedly sent a formal communication to Starbucks to expedite the arrangement.
Starbucks’ Chennai GCC will focus on back‑office functions such as data analytics, finance and supply‑chain support, and the state estimates the centre will employ 800 skilled workers during its first rollout.
Speaking at the signing, Minister Keerthana said, “We are delighted to welcome Starbucks to Tamil Nadu. A global brand of Starbucks’ stature choosing Chennai to establish its Global Capability Centre is a strong endorsement of our talent, our capabilities, and the business environment we are building.” She added on X, “We just brewed something strong. From rich filter kaapi to Starbucks, Tamil Nadu’s story is going global.”
The Starbucks agreement follows a series of recent GCC commitments in the state, including deals with Walgreens, insurance firm Chubb – whose centre will handle claims processing, AI‑driven underwriting, fraud detection and captive operations for its Asia‑Pacific portfolio – and German wind‑turbine maker Nordex, which will set up a centre for product engineering and technology innovation.
Tamil Nadu now hosts more than 450 GCCs, accounting for roughly 10‑15 % of India’s entire GCC ecosystem, making it the country’s third‑largest hub after Karnataka and Telangana. The new Starbucks centre reinforces the state’s strategy to attract high‑value, technology‑focused investments and to expand its role in the global services supply chain.