Retail
Trent seals Caffe Nero deal for in-store cafes
Licensing pact follows failed Starbucks talks and puts coffee next to Zudio and Westside tills for longer dwell time.
Meera Iyer, Retail correspondent··4 min read
Trent will house Caffe Nero outlets in its Westside and Zudio stores under the fresh licensing pact announced early on 27 October. The agreement replaces earlier unsuccessful negotiations with Tata Starbucks that stalled on store design and visibility issues.
Shop-floor managers gain a new traffic driver: a coffee counter that keeps shoppers browsing apparel longer and lifts average ticket at the till. Dark-store style inventory turns already run weekly at Zudio; cafes add another reason for repeat visits in the same catchment.
Caffe Nero cafes will sit inside Trent stores after Starbucks talks failed on format and prominence.
The pact squeezes pure-play cafe chains and mall F&B operators that rely on fashion footfall, while helping Trent defend dwell time against quick-commerce apparel drops. Peers such as Shoppers Stop and Reliance Retail already mix food with fashion.
Watch the first cafe openings before the winter festive window and any disclosure in Trent's next quarterly filing on store economics and contribution margins.