CHENNAI (REUTERS)

US coffee chain Starbucks has ​signed a pact to set up a global capability centre in ⁠the southern Indian city of ​Chennai, creating roughly 800 technology ​jobs, ‌the Tamil Nadu ⁠state ​government said on Monday.

Starbucks, which has approximately 500 cafes in India through its joint venture ‌with Tata Consumer Products, did ‌not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment outside office hours.

The move comes days after US pharmacy chain Walgreens signed a pact with the Tamil Nadu government to establish ‌a global capability centre in ​the state's capital, already home to tech centres of global corporates including Citi, Barclays and ​American ‌Express.

Capability centres have ‌moved beyond low-cost ‌back-office support, with global business groups using these ⁠centres to support headquarters through ​higher-value functions such as finance and software development, as well as research and development.