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The international coffee chain Starbucks has announced its intention to establish its first Global Center of Excellence (GCC) in the city of Chennai. This enterprise is expected to create approximately 800 new jobs.

The company signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Tamil Nadu government to set up this center. According to an official statement, this marks the first time Starbucks is opening a GCC in India, with Tamil Nadu being selected as the location for expansion. The new structure will operate independently from Starbucks' retail joint venture in India with Tata Consumer Products.

Anand Varadarajan, CTO of Starbucks Coffee, noted that the company's decision to establish a GCC in Tamil Nadu was driven by the availability of skilled personnel in Chennai and a lower employee turnover rate.

India has become a leading global destination for establishing GCCs, with over 2,100 such units now located in the country, compared to 1,600 five years ago. This segment provides employment for approximately 2.3 million specialists and has become a key growth driver for India's technology industry, which is valued at $300 billion.

This growth is also visible in hiring trends among GCCs. A study conducted by the specialized recruiting firm Xpheno showed that in fiscal year 25, 25 GCCs hired 110,000 candidates, exceeding the figures of traditional IT companies by 10,000 people. In fiscal year 26, the number of hired candidates reached 180,000, which is 60,000 more than in IT service companies.

The development of GCCs is also reflected in the types of companies opening their centers in India. While initially these were multinational corporations from the US, this trend has now spread to companies from Europe and Japan. Furthermore, medium-sized companies and startups from developed countries, especially the United States, are opening GCCs in India. These GCCs have also advanced up the value chain, becoming key centers that develop new solutions while managing all functions from India.

In the city of Tashkent, three land plots are planned to be transferred to private companies for the implementation of projects to create squares and parking zones. These projects will be carried out in the format of public-private partnership, and the rights to conclude the necessary agreements will be put up for electronic auction.

One of the plots is located in the Yunusabad district, specifically in the Kashkar mahalla on Istiklol street. Both a square and a parking lot are planned to be built on this territory. The initial price for the right to conclude the PPP agreement for this object is set at 514.2 million soums.

The remaining two plots are located in the Chilanzar district. The first is in the Kattadombrobod mahalla on Gavhar street, and the second is in the Beshkurgan mahalla on Bunyodkor avenue. Both of these plots are intended exclusively for organizing parking spaces.

The rights to implement projects on these two plots will be offered as a single lot, with a starting price of 932.9 million soums. The decision to launch these projects was made by the Hokim of Tashkent on September 14.

According to the approved document, the first object must be presented at the E-auksion platform within ten days, while the other two plots will be listed within fifteen days.

AO Toshkent Invest has been designated as the state partner in these projects. All funds received from the conclusion of PPP agreements will be directed to the Tashkent Development Fund under the Hokimiyat. After the auctions are completed, the relevant public-private partnership agreements will be signed with the winner, and Toshkent Invest will oversee their execution.