Head - Real Estate & Expansion

Keka Technologies Private Limited; Mumbai; On-site; INR 6,000,000 - 12,000,000; Full time

Job summary

abcoffee is seeking a Pan India Head – Real Estate & Expansion to own the complete real estate and expansion function across markets, from identifying where to grow to securing locations and delivering stores on time. You will build the expansion strategy, lead market and catchment selection, develop the property pipeline and negotiate high-value deals while building a scalable team and expansion engine.

This is a high-ownership leadership role requiring strong commercial judgment, market

Qualifications

• 10-15+ years of experience in retail real estate, expansion, leasing, business development or related functions.

Responsibilities

• Own the Pan-India real estate and expansion strategy aligned with business growth and store-opening targets.
• Define city priorities, market-entry strategies, clusters and network densification opportunities.
• Identify emerging markets and real estate opportunities that can accelerate abcoffee’s growth.
• Develop annual and long-term expansion plans with clear city-wise targets.
• Own the end-to-end property funnel — market identification, sourcing, evaluation, negotiation, closure and handover.
• Build a strong network of landlords, developers, brokers, consultants, mall operators and institutional partners across India.
• Evaluate locations based on footfall, consumer profile, visibility, accessibility, competition, sales potential and strategic fit.
• Build and maintain a high-quality, data-backed Pan-India property pipeline.
• Lead negotiations on rent, lock-in, deposits, escalation, CAM, fit-out periods, revenue share and other commercial terms.
• Own site-level business cases and feasibility assessments.
• Ensure expansion decisions are aligned with sales potential, occupancy costs, ROI, payback and store-level profitability.
• Establish commercial benchmarks and ensure strong deal discipline across markets.
• Build, lead and mentor a high-performing Pan-India Real Estate & Expansion team.
• Establish regional/city-level ownership and accountability.
• Develop processes, SOPs, dashboards and performance metrics to create a scalable expansion function.
• Build a culture of speed, ownership, data-driven decision-making and strong execution.
• Partner closely with Business, Operations, Projects, Design, Finance and Legal teams to ensure seamless store rollouts.
• Resolve commercial, operational and execution bottlenecks impacting store openings.
• Maintain strong governance on pipeline, closures, timelines and launch readiness.
• 10-15+ years of experience in retail real estate, expansion, leasing, business development or related functions.

Skills

Real estate leadership

Market expansion

Negotiation

Stakeholder management

Team building

Job description

As the Pan India Head – Real Estate & Expansion, you will own the complete real estate and expansion function across markets — from identifying where abcoffee should grow, to securing the right locations and delivering stores within commercial and timeline expectations.

You will build the expansion strategy, lead market and catchment selection, develop the property pipeline, negotiate high-value deals and build a scalable team and expansion engine.

This is a high-ownership leadership role requiring strong commercial judgement, market intelligence, stakeholder management and the ability to move quickly from strategy to execution.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the Pan-India real estate and expansion strategy aligned with business growth and store-opening targets.
• Define city priorities, market-entry strategies, clusters and network densification opportunities.
• Identify emerging markets and real estate opportunities that can accelerate abcoffee’s growth.
• Develop annual and long-term expansion plans with clear city-wise targets.
• Own the end-to-end property funnel — market identification, sourcing, evaluation, negotiation, closure and handover.
• Build a strong network of landlords, developers, brokers, consultants, mall operators and institutional partners across India.
• Evaluate locations based on footfall, consumer profile, visibility, accessibility, competition, sales potential and strategic fit.
• Build and maintain a high-quality, data-backed Pan-India property pipeline.
• Lead negotiations on rent, lock-in, deposits, escalation, CAM, fit-out periods, revenue share and other commercial terms.
• Own site-level business cases and feasibility assessments.
• Ensure expansion decisions are aligned with sales potential, occupancy costs, ROI, payback and store-level profitability.
• Establish commercial benchmarks and ensure strong deal discipline across markets.

Leadership & Team Building

• Build, lead and mentor a high-performing Pan-India Real Estate & Expansion team.
• Establish regional/city-level ownership and accountability.
• Develop processes, SOPs, dashboards and performance metrics to create a scalable expansion function.
• Build a culture of speed, ownership, data-driven decision-making and strong execution.

Cross-Functional Execution

• Partner closely with Business, Operations, Projects, Design, Finance and Legal teams to ensure seamless store rollouts.
• Resolve commercial, operational and execution bottlenecks impacting store openings.
• Maintain strong governance on pipeline, closures, timelines and launch readiness.

What We’re Looking For

• 10-15+ years of experience in retail real estate, expansion, leasing, business development or related functions.