Britannia to foray into cafés in big way; seeks franchisees

Britannia Industries is planning to scale up its fledgling cafe business. The café foray is being lead by Daily Bread Gourmet Foods, a wholly owned subsidiary of Britannia. The subsidiary of the Wadia group company has tied up with large-format retailers such as Spencer's to set up shop-in-shop formats. While the company currently has 22 company-owned and eight franchisee stores in Bangalore, it has five stores in Hyderabad and three in Goa in master franchisee formats, reports Financial Chronicle.

"We are investing around Rs 15-20 lakh per store and we want to focus on the catchment areas we understand well and prioritise those markets. We plan to open 75 more stores across major cities as we believe the scale will help us break even faster," said a top Daily Bread Gourmet Foods official close to the development. These outlets are expected to come up across India with a focus on cities such as Bangalore, Hyderabad and Goa.

The company claims that its stores have already started generating profit, which has emboldened the group to fund the rollout of more stores. "We have already broken even at the store level since we cater to both institutional and retail clients," added the company official.

Daily Bread is now looking at franchisees for its formats ranging from 100 square feet kiosks to 300-700 square feet premium cafés. It also intends to appoint franchisees for 4,000 square feet decentralised production units costing Rs 2 crore each. Franchisees for kiosks are expected to invest Rs 10 lakh, while those for cafes are expected to pony up Rs 15-25 lakh.

Haier India plans 120 new 'Experience Centres'; seeks franchisees

Mar 26, 2011

Haier India, a subsidiary of Haier Group, is planning to open 120 new ‘Experience Centres’ at select locations across the country, including 40 in Maharashtra in the current calendar year 2011. Meanwhile, the company is looking for potential franchisees to speed up its retail expansion. It just opened its new ‘Experience Centre’ in Nashik.

With the opening of a new ‘Experience Centre’ in Nashik, the company has now 180 Centres across the country, including 14 in Maharashtra. The ‘Experience centre’ is designed to give the customer a firsthand experience of the latest technology, innovation and design that the company has to offer.

“As part of our expansion plans, we are expanding the strength of our ‘Experience Centres’ from the present 180 to 300 Centres, by adding another 120 new centres at select locations across the country in the next three months. Of which, around 40 new ‘Experience Centres’ will be opened in Maharashtra,” said Sandeep Patil, regional manager (Western zone).

Haier India is major home appliances and consumer electronics brands in the country. The company’s product range includes Haier colour televisions, LED & LCD TVs, refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners, freezers for commercial & medical usage and Spa range of water heaters.

McDonald's to roll out 250 outlets in south, west India

Hardcastle India, which runs the south and west franchisee of McDonald's in India, is on in expansion mode ever since McDonald's Corp conferred it with the Development Licensee status. The company now plans to open 30 outlets this financial year, as well as clock 30-40 per cent year-on-year growth.

According to Amit Jatia, vice chairman McDonald's India (west and south), the company has earmarked Rs 500 crore to set up 250 restaurants in south and west India over the next three years, up from 110 restaurants it operates.

He added that the development licensee status will help the chain grow faster and it is working towards that on all possible fronts. "We intend to expand the breakfast service which was launched in select cities last year, to other parts of the country. Also, our home delivery service has become quite popular and we aim to grow on that as well. As far as becoming a convenient and accessible joint for customers is concerned, we plan to open 4550 restaurants across India during 2011, with an investment of Rs 150 crore," Jatia said.

Last month, McDonald's Corp said it was selling its 50 per cent stake in Hardcastle Restaurants (HRPL), one of McDonald's two 15-year-old equal joint ventures that run its outlets in India for an undisclosed amount and converting it into a franchisee operation. This meant that HRPL will have 100 per cent ownership of the operations, thereby allowing it to grow rapidly and sustainably, creating significant present and future opportunities for the expansion of the McDonald's Brand.

Hardcastle Restaurants owns the restaurant chain in west and south India. In northern and eastern part of the country, the chain is owned by Connaught Plaza Restaurants Private Limited. Jatia, however, did not give details about the plans for the north and east. McDonald's is one of largest player operating in the quick serve restaurant (QSR) space The QSR industry in India, which is currently valued at $13 billion, is growing at a rate of 18 per cent annually and McDonald's aims to cash in on the huge potential in this category.

Further, the company said that its main focus right now are the Indian metros. "About 80 per cent of our revenue comes from the metros as they have a larger number of consumer preferring fast foods," Jatia said.

Nirula's to open 50 new outlets

In order to expand its presence across the country, Delhi-based quick service restaurant chain Nirula's is shifting its focus to tier II cities such as Patna, Baroda, Pune and Udaipur, among others. The company plans to open 50 new outlets in the next one year.

“We would open 50 new outlets in the next one year. The company will invest around Rs 15-20 crore for expansion,” said Samir Kuckreja, CEO and MD, Nirula's.

Fifty per cent of the new outlets will be company operated, while the remaining will be managed by franchisees, Kuckreja added.

Besides expanding its footprint in India, Nirula's is also planning to expand its global presence in countries such as Sri Lanka, Nepal and the Middle East region by 2013.

The fast-food chain is already present in Oman and Nepal.

Kent Shoppe on expansion spree

Water purifiers manufacturer Kent RO recently forayed into the retail sector by launching an exclusive store, Kent Shoppe, in New Delhi. Located at East Patel Nagar area, the shop is based on franchise model. Further, the company plans to roll out 200 outlets in a year’s time.

Mahesh Gupta, chairman, Kent RO Systems Ltd, said, “Kent has presence in multi-brand stores with a widespread distribution network. However, we realised that the shopkeeper sitting in a multi-brand store is a ‘quick seller’ and he would not spend time giving information about our products in the way we desire. Our idea is to put an array of products in the store and let the consumer have an experience of the new innovative range to make their life healthier.”

The upcoming stores will be spread over an area of 200 to 500 sq ft in major markets. Kent expects to generate a revenue of Rs 10 lakh from each store per month with a break even period of one year.

“Due to lack of proper information and knowledge, consumers face problems in picking the right product. It is this need gap that Kent intends to fill by empowering customers with proper information and guidance in a friendly environment,” Gupta added.

With a current turnover of Rs 250 crore and over around 40 per cent of market share, Kent is optimistic that the coming up of exclusive stores will enhance its market share in all categories.

Chatwal ties with Wyndham for major hotel expansion in India

Noted Indian American hotelier Sant Singh Chatwal plans to set up 50 new hotels in India in five years as part of a major expansion into South Asia in partnership with Wyndham Hotel Group. "India has just 100,000 hotel rooms at present. It can easily seek 100,000 more," said Chatwal at a media event

on Wednesday noting that there was potential for at least another 100 hotels.

The hotelier whose New York headquartered Chatwal Hotels & Resorts currently runs two hotels in India has already tied up nine sites for the planned India expansion starting with a 200 room hotel in Jaipur.

There are lots of tourist spots in India like Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur and Varanasi but lack of quality hotels prevented realisation of their full potential, Chatwal said.

Poor infrastructure, high cost of land and the need to get 120 odd clearances also made India operations a tough thing to do, he said. However, things are now changing in India, he said.

Chatwal Hotels has entered into an agreement with Wyndham Hotel Group, which runs 7200 hotels in 67 countries around the world, giving them exclusive rights to franchise and manage its Dream(r) and Night(r) boutique hotel brands globally.

Dream and Night hotels currently are open in New York; Bangkok, Thailand; and Kochi in India. Chatwal Hotels & Resorts will continue to own the Dream and Night brand trademarks and intellectual property.

"The addition of the Dream and Night brands will complement Wyndham Hotel Group's diverse brand portfolio which focuses on meeting guest needs with a hotel product for every kind of traveller," said Eric Danziger, Wyndham Hotel Group president and chief executive officer.

"These design driven, destination-within-a-destination brands are favoured by travellers who crave an avant-garde yet cosmopolitan experience," he said.

"We are especially proud to work with Sant Singh Chatwal, an innovative hotelier and entrepreneur, to expand and evolve these brands in key business and leisure markets around the globe," Danziger said.

Wyndham, which at present runs just 27 hotels in India under various brands as against 400 in China sees a big potential in India.

"Our job is to see the right brand in the right place," said Danziger describing Chatwals as the right people with the right brands to grow in India.

Even as it expands in South Asia, Chatwal group plans to open a Dream hotel in New York's Meatpacking District during the second quarter of this year.

In addition, the 108-room, Art-Deco-inspired Dream South Beach is set to open shortly in Miami Beach, Florida, adjacent to the former Versace Mansion on Collins Avenue.

Chatwal said Wyndham Hotel Group will "take the development of the Dream and Night brands to the next level" by leveraging Wyndham's global distribution system, Wyndham Rewards loyalty programme and extended reach of development professionals.

"The relationship with Wyndham will unlock the true potential of our Dream and Night brands, which have proven their success in key markets like New York and Bangkok during the last six years and are prime to further expand globally," said Chatwal.

The Night brand, which Wyndham plans to develop in primary and secondary markets, will be positioned as an 'affordably chic' hotel option featuring innovative designs and services such as guest deejays in lounges, discounts for green motorists with hybrid and electric cars and gourmet quick-serve food and beverage options.

The Dream brand is positioned as a full-service, lifestyle brand for gateway cities and resort destinations.

Source : Hindustantimes.com

Van Heusen to target smaller cities

Having invested around Rs 35 crore so far in opening exclusive stores, they will now invest Rs 4-5 crore each year to open the new outlets under a franchise model.

With aims to transform itself into a complete lifestyle brand, non-apparels will also be sold under the international Van Heusen brand, which was launched in India in 1990.

A whole gamut of products including men's ties, belts, footwear, eyewear, watches and luggage will soon be available under the premium brand name. They will also enter the women's shoes and bags segment.

"We expect a good demand for these products as we can offer a complete shopping experience to our customers. In the next three years, the non-apparel business should contribute around 8-10 per cent to our total sales," Ramachandran said.

Source : Indian express.com

Spanish designer Adolfo Dominguez catwalks into India

Adolfo Dominguez, the Spanish designer recently unveiled his flagship store in New Delhi. The store has stocked the latest spring/summer 2011 clothing and accessories collection, for both men and women.

For its Indian operations, Adolfo Dominguez has entered in to an eight-year exclusive master franchise agreement with Wadhavan Lifestyle Retail and has plans to pump in around Rs 500 million to establish the brand in India.

In 2008, Wadhavan Lifestyle had brought the American urban street wear brand Ed Hardy to India. With over 35 years of experience in about 37 countries, the first Spanish Adolfo Domínguez stores opened in 1982 in Madrid and Barcelona.

As a marketing strategy, Wadhavan wants a lot of consumers to be aware about Adolfo Dominguez. They have started with a little bit of marketing by creating some awareness about the brand. Apart from which, other activities would talk about the luck and heritage of the brand.

Mr Abhinav Zutshi, Head – International Brands, Wadhavan Lifestyle Retail Pvt. Ltd spoke exclusively to fibre2fashion about their future plans for the Adolfo Dominguez brand in India and the potential for European designer wears in the Indian market.

Speaking about the potential for European designer wears, he said, “I think, in the last 3-4 years, a lot of European brands have come to India and have been well accepted by the consumers. This is the right time for new brands to come into India and try the market.

“For all the global brands, China and India are now the largest markets in the world and it’s high time that they come in and see how their products click with the Indian consumer. I think there is tremendous potential for all these brands to come in. The consumers and the markets are available. According to me, this is the best time to be in India”.

Giving an insight in to the trends of the Indian market, he informed, “Mostly the Indian brands have either focused on women’s wear or men’s wear because these are the two main categories in India. But apart from this there is a lot of scope for kids wears as well as home products.

He added by saying, “The Indian consumer is maturing and has a fair understanding about international styling and products across all categories. In the next five years, one will see a lot of activities and lot of global brands coming in to India”.

On the strategy to increase their presence in India, he said, “I think the strategy goes hand in hand with the availability of real estate. Good real estate basically means good malls and good hyper cities at a place where all like-minded brands are available, which gives the consumer a wider choice as well as create awareness levels.

“So based on how the market is evolving and the number of malls coming up in the next two years, we will be sounding out bigger metros like Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata and Chennai. After a period of two years we willexplore other cities like Pune and Nagpur. These are the cities where the brand evolution will be slower”.

Mr Zutshi however was critical about the imposition of the 10 percent excise duty on branded clothing. He said, “The input processes in apparel production are very complicated so it’s not very simple for international partners to understand customs policies and procedures. Once you open the doors for FDI, the investors look for single window clearances.

"Currently one has to through multiple levels of clearances, apart from which there are different committees. Once the government makes up its mind that, they want more people to come and invest in this country, they will have to look at simplifying the process”, he wrapped up this very informative interview by saying.

Source : Fibre2fashion News Desk - India

Canon Launch First Brand Retail Outlet in Mumbai with the Inauguration of Canon Image Square

Mumbai: Canon India Pvt. Limited launched its first brand retail store ‘Canon Image Square’ in Mumbai and second in the Western region. The retail store is based on the franchise model. It is intended to be a one stop destination for people with imaging needs, enabling enhanced visibility, experiential purchase at point of sale, increased reach across Western India and drive sales.

Canon plans to open 100 stores across major metros and non metros cities in 2011 and increase the number of stores to 300 across 150 Tier II and III cities by 2013. With this plan, Canon India would deepen foothold in 150 cities in the coming three years. The company expects estimated revenues of Rs 30 lakh, per store, every month from Canon retail stores. This is in line with the growth of retail destinations like malls at the rate of 540 malls annually. The stores enforces Canon’s increased focus on penetration across the country including major metros and tier II & tier III markets to enhance the brand awareness and increase sales. The area covered by each outlet would vary from a minimum of 800 sq. ft to a maximum of 1300 sq. ft.

Speaking on the occasion Mr. Kensaku Konishi, President & CEO, Canon India said, “The customer of today is well informed and educated, and we are constantly evolving at providing them with the correct choices by understanding their needs. The Indian customer is demanding better products, higher lifestyle quotient, good quality selling interface and state-of-art after sales service of international standards. Hence, it is a moment of pride for us at Canon to launch first store in Mumbai designed on international appeal called ‘Canon Image Square’. The store will offer solutions for customers seeking high end photography and printing solutions where both click and print products from Canon will be available. This is a unique concept that would help Brand Canon enjoy greater visibility and get closer to our customers, at large.”

Understanding the evolving consumer needs, Canon has also created a brand retail division for “Image Square” line of retail stores to tap the growth of retail market. Currently the size of the market is estimated at Rs 3000 crore annually. The number of Canon Image Squares opened till date are 7 with an average foot fall per store per month of 6000 to 10,000. The increase in footfall in these stores on weekends over weekdays is over 100%. Experiential buying at retail outlets is a new trend in the digital imaging market that is currently growing at 50% in India.

The outlet showcases a wide range of consumer products that includes cameras, camcorders, photo printers, D-SLR’s and lenses, inkjet printers, entry level laser printers, consumables and accessories. Each store has over 80 SKU’s on display. The wide display of products allows the customer to enjoy a rich technological experience with an environment to make a purchase. A customer can touch, feel and understand all about a product and then make an informed purchase.

Source : APN News , 18^th March 2011

DLF Brands, Alcott plan JV

Pioneering developer of international style retail and recreation in India, DLF Retail Brands is up for another joint venture, this time with a casual wear brand from Italy. Italian high street fashion brand Alcott, which had entered India in 2008 with a franchise agreement with DLF Retail Brand is ready to enter into a joint venture partnership, whereby the Indian partner, will have 51 per cent stake.

Indian law allows only 51 per cent FDI in single brand retail. DLF Retail Brands, a part of real estate giant DLF has several brands in its portfolio, including Mothercare, Sunglass Hut, Boggi Milano and DKNY.

Alcott founder, Salvatore Colella says they are happy with Alcott’s performance in India and wish to grow here. The joint venture would be a first for the Italian brand. The Alcott brand was incepted in Italy in 1990 and has a presence in over 12 countries. It focuses on casual high street fashion targeting the youth. The brand entered India with DLF Retail Brands in December 2008 and currently has 12 standalone stores and three shop-in-shops.

Colella says, in Italy, all operations are company managed and in other countries they have franchise arrangements. Alcott’s global annual turnover is currently estimated at 200 million Euro, with Italy alone contributing 50 per cent.

In India, Alcott is looking at opening more big stores, which are larger than its existing ones, with the intention of having 20 stores by end of 2011 and thereon, 10 stores every year. Alcott expects to have a turnover of 50-60 million Euros in India in the next 5 to 6 years.

California Pizza Kitchen to expedite Indian expansion

California Pizza Kitchen Inc is trying to step up its growth plans in India with the second restaurant in Mumbai. The restaurant will be opened in association with its franchise partner JSMGGC India Pvt Ltd, a joint-venture between Mumbai-based JSM Corporation and Dubai-based Gourmet Gulf Company.

California Pizza Kitchen opened its first restaurant in India in 2009, after it entered into an agreement with this franchise partner to do business here.

Further, the company plans to open at least 15 restaurants in India over the next 10 years.

The Los Angeles-based chain opened the first Indian restaurant in the commercial district of Bandra Kurla Complex. This is a 4,000 square feet restaurant, seating 180 guests. The new restaurant will have the same square feet coverage but an increased seating capacity. It will be located in High Street Phoenix, Mumbai’s largest shopping and entertainment destination. Both restaurants are strategically positioned for driving traffic.

California Pizza Kitchen currently owns and operates 207 restaurants and franchises 59 restaurants. The company is widening its presence internationally. There are currently 34 restaurants located in China, Japan, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Mexico, South Korea, Guam, India, Indonesia and United Arab Emirates.

Overseas development in Mexico, Asia and the Middle East is also on the cards. But California Pizza Kitchen will have to brave tremendous competitive pressure in the markets it is eying for expansion.

California Pizza Kitchen to expedite Indian expansion

Mar 11, 2011

California Pizza Kitchen Inc is trying to step up its growth plans in India with the second restaurant in Mumbai. The restaurant will be opened in association with its franchise partner JSMGGC India Pvt Ltd, a joint-venture between Mumbai-based JSM Corporation and Dubai-based Gourmet Gulf Company.

California Pizza Kitchen opened its first restaurant in India in 2009, after it entered into an agreement with this franchise partner to do business here.

Further, the company plans to open at least 15 restaurants in India over the next 10 years.

The Los Angeles-based chain opened the first Indian restaurant in the commercial district of Bandra Kurla Complex. This is a 4,000 square feet restaurant, seating 180 guests. The new restaurant will have the same square feet coverage but an increased seating capacity. It will be located in High Street Phoenix, Mumbai’s largest shopping and entertainment destination. Both restaurants are strategically positioned for driving traffic.

California Pizza Kitchen currently owns and operates 207 restaurants and franchises 59 restaurants. The company is widening its presence internationally. There are currently 34 restaurants located in China, Japan, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Mexico, South Korea, Guam, India, Indonesia and United Arab Emirates.

Overseas development in Mexico, Asia and the Middle East is also on the cards. But California Pizza Kitchen will have to brave tremendous competitive pressure in the markets it is eying for expansion.

Indian Terrain to list on March 11; plans expansion via franchising

Mar 10, 2011

Indian Terrain Fashions Ltd, which markets the eponymous brand of apparel, subsequent to its demerger from its parent company, Celebrity Fashions Ltd, will be listed on the BSE and NSE this Friday, March 11. Meanwhile, the company is also planning to expand its retail operations via franchise model.

The demerger of Indian Terrain from Celebrity took effect on April 1, 2010, and now that the process of shareholder approval and legal formalities are over, it is ready to be listed.

V Rajgopal, chairman of the company, said investors were keen to invest in a good brand story and Indian Terrain, a 10-year-old brand, has the potential to emerge among the top lifestyle and ‘sportswear' brands in the country. “We are, perhaps, the only sportswear brand in the men's apparel space to have a strong and committed supply chain linkage because of the parent company, Celebrity,” he explained. Sportswear as a category is not actual sports clothing, but office and casual wear which is defined by the fabric, the cuts and the washes the garments go through, he added.

The last four quarters have seen strong growth in sales for Indian Terrain, he said. The current year would witness a growth of a little over 50 per cent, he added. The company expects to end this FY with net revenues of Rs 120 crore, with a PAT of Rs 8.5 crore, up from Rs 80.15 crore in revenues the previous year. On an annualised basis for FY 2011, the EPS works out to Rs 15. Shareholders of Celebrity were given two shares of Indian Terrain for seven shares of Celebrity.

Rajgopal said the strong performance of its knitwear range helped its revenue growth.

Soon Indian Terrain, which has roped in Bollywood star Abhay Deol as its brand ambassador, expects to launch other accessories such as bags, belts, socks, and a premium denim range. For the next FY, he expects the company to target sales of Rs 150 crore and an EBITDA of 10 per cent.

Amitabh Suri, who will be the COO of Indian Terrain Fashions Ltd, said the company would open 30 more stores in the coming year, majority of them on a franchise basis.

At present, it has 71 exclusive brand outlets. Besides a presence in major multi-brand chains such as Lifestyle, Shoppers Stop, Central, and recently Westside, it has a shop-in-shop in Singapore's well-known Mustafa mall.

South Africa's Shoprite to buy Metcash franchise unit

Africa's biggest grocer Shoprite has agreed to buy the franchise unit of unlisted South African rival Metcash Trading for an undisclosed amount, the two companies said in a joint statement on Tuesday.

Metcash's franchise unit operates supermarket chains such as Friendly, Seven Eleven and Price Club Discount across South Africa.

"The transaction will provide (Shoprite) with a further platform to grow its business and franchisees exponentially, both in numbers and in turnover," Shoprite deputy managing director Carel Goosen said in the statement.

Adolfo Dominguez steps into India

Spanish designer Adolfo Dominguez has launched his flagship store at the new Ambience Mall, in Vasant Vihar, Delhi. The brand has tied up with Wadhavan Lifestyle Retail, which brought American urban street wear brand Ed Hardy to India in 2008. Wadhavan has entered into an eight year deal for an exclusive master franchise agreement with Madrid-based Adolfo Dominguez and plans to invest around Rs 50 crore in the next five years to establish the brand in India, according to a media report.

With over 35 years of experience in about 37 countries, Adolfo’s entry on the Indian shores is seen as a stepping stone for bridging the gap between the luxury and the premium markets.

The brand’s creative director Tiziana Dominguez agrees that India was always on the cards, it was just a matter of when. They strongly believe that there is a huge scope for Indian retail market, to be a prominent contributor to the world economy.

Adolfo Dominguez is a vertically integrated company, a position that has enabled it to produce high-quality, fashion-oriented clothing at attractive price points. The designer has shops all over Spain and an extensive worldwide sales network, with points of sale in more than 20 countries.

The first Madrid and Barcelona Adolfo Domínguez stores opened in 1982, and in 1985 the designer presented his first women’s collection on the Paris catwalks. This marked the start of the firm’s international expansion, which has taken his collections all over Europe, Japan, America and South-East Asia.

Free franchise workshops for business owners seeking to franchise their businesses. Chennai – Ambassador Pallava, 12 & 13 March ‘11.

March 08, 2011-We are pleased to announce our free franchise workshop for business owners seeking to franchise their businesses. If you are a business owner seeking expert professional help to franchise your business and have been contemplating from some time to expand your business, we can help you get started. We have helped 100's of businesses of all sizes to expand from as minimum as an Idea to 100's of Units now. You can also expand your business to multiple units across India and probably the globe. You could meet one of India's senior most franchise consultants at the location mentioned above and discuss in length the opportunity you see in expanding your business and the challenges you face in doing so.

We will help you to identify the key components of how you can take your business forward and probably work closely with you in franchising your business. At the 1-1 diagnostic meetings, generally lasting for 30-60 Minutes, you can get a overall picture on how to franchise your business. We would request you to come well prepared with your queries and make the best out of these meeting. Kindly send in a brief summary of the business you seek to franchise and we will confirm your appointment within 2 working days.

Morever these meetings are absolutely free and we are sure that you will have loads of expert franchise advise to take back with you, enabling you to clearly see the road ahead for your business.


About Sparkleminds:
Is a specialist franchise consultancy company establised in 1998 and headquartered out of Bangalore, India. We work on all facets of franchising. We offer complete franchise solutions from franchise strategy, franchise development, franchise documentation, franchise registrations, franchise agreements, franchise recruitments, franchise trainings and everything else a business would need to grow using the franchise route.

For More On This Press Release or To Request For an Appointment Contact:

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Senior Franchise Consultant

Sparkleminds
#309, Swiss Complex,
#33, Race Course Road.
Bangalore-560001
India
Call:+91 9844441300
Landline:+91 80 41512345/22267017.

Floriana Marble plans to increase retail footprint

Mar 07, 2011

Floriana, the largest marble retail chain in India, has unveiled its third international flagship store in Singapore. The brand is managed by the New Delhi-based SVIL Mines Ltd - a member of the 'Floriana Group'. In India, the company has 45 stores which are a mix of both company-owned and franchise-owned but company operated. . In the months to come, it plans to further intensify the product line and the retail network across the country.

The Floriana Group is a US$ 1 billion conglomerate and spans a wide spectrum of businesses from essential oils to personal care products to wellness centres and agri business to marble mining and retailing.

The Floriana outlet in Singapore is spread over an area of around 1000 square metres in Vertex - Ubi, an industrial district in the heart of Singapore. The store is dolled up with exquisite polished natural marble from different places like Italy, Spain, Greece, and Oman. It provides a unique consumer experience with well created replicas of living room, bedroom cladded with marble so that the customers could feel the elegance of the products while shopping.

The Singapore store is Floriana's third international store after Dubai and Sharjah. It also plans to open additional international stores to escalate its retail presence globally.

To support its plan to redefine the marble industry, the company has set up its manufacturing plant in Madhya Pradesh, which is world's largest integrated marble processing plant. It's a state-of-the-art Italian processing unit with a strong infrastructure and world class technology. Customers can therefore be assured of the quality, standardization and innovation of the product. The company is well cognizant of the significant role of the marble in the real estate growth and development in India.

Floriana Marble plans to increase retail footprint

Mar 07, 2011

Floriana, the largest marble retail chain in India, has unveiled its third international flagship store in Singapore. The brand is managed by the New Delhi-based SVIL Mines Ltd - a member of the 'Floriana Group'. In India, the company has 45 stores which are a mix of both company-owned and franchise-owned but company operated. . In the months to come, it plans to further intensify the product line and the retail network across the country.

The Floriana Group is a US$ 1 billion conglomerate and spans a wide spectrum of businesses from essential oils to personal care products to wellness centres and agri business to marble mining and retailing.

The Floriana outlet in Singapore is spread over an area of around 1000 square metres in Vertex - Ubi, an industrial district in the heart of Singapore. The store is dolled up with exquisite polished natural marble from different places like Italy, Spain, Greece, and Oman. It provides a unique consumer experience with well created replicas of living room, bedroom cladded with marble so that the customers could feel the elegance of the products while shopping.

The Singapore store is Floriana's third international store after Dubai and Sharjah. It also plans to open additional international stores to escalate its retail presence globally.

To support its plan to redefine the marble industry, the company has set up its manufacturing plant in Madhya Pradesh, which is world's largest integrated marble processing plant. It's a state-of-the-art Italian processing unit with a strong infrastructure and world class technology. Customers can therefore be assured of the quality, standardization and innovation of the product. The company is well cognizant of the significant role of the marble in the real estate growth and development in India.

Floriana Marble plans to increase retail footprint

Mar 07, 2011

Floriana, the largest marble retail chain in India, has unveiled its third international flagship store in Singapore. The brand is managed by the New Delhi-based SVIL Mines Ltd - a member of the 'Floriana Group'. In India, the company has 45 stores which are a mix of both company-owned and franchise-owned but company operated. . In the months to come, it plans to further intensify the product line and the retail network across the country.

The Floriana Group is a US$ 1 billion conglomerate and spans a wide spectrum of businesses from essential oils to personal care products to wellness centres and agri business to marble mining and retailing.

The Floriana outlet in Singapore is spread over an area of around 1000 square metres in Vertex - Ubi, an industrial district in the heart of Singapore. The store is dolled up with exquisite polished natural marble from different places like Italy, Spain, Greece, and Oman. It provides a unique consumer experience with well created replicas of living room, bedroom cladded with marble so that the customers could feel the elegance of the products while shopping.

The Singapore store is Floriana's third international store after Dubai and Sharjah. It also plans to open additional international stores to escalate its retail presence globally.

To support its plan to redefine the marble industry, the company has set up its manufacturing plant in Madhya Pradesh, which is world's largest integrated marble processing plant. It's a state-of-the-art Italian processing unit with a strong infrastructure and world class technology. Customers can therefore be assured of the quality, standardization and innovation of the product. The company is well cognizant of the significant role of the marble in the real estate growth and development in India.

Cocoberry forays into Ahmedabad

Mar 02, 2011

Cocoberry, a leading frozen yogurt chain, entered the Ahmedabad market with its first outlet in the city.

"With the growing health and wellness food market along with the rising popularity of our product across other cities, we foresee an immense potential in the Ahemdabad market as well. We are glad to extend our presence in this flourishing market and aim at providing the finest and the healthiest frozen yogurt experience to our customers," said G S Bhalla, founder & CEO, Cocoberry.

Founded in February 2009, Cocoberry claims to have recorded 300 per cent growth this year. It plans to increase its turnover from Rs 5 crore to Rs 13-14 crore in the coming fiscal year and to Rs 250 crore in the next 4-5 years' time.

The yoghurt brand is planning a major expansion from this financial year onwards. From the 30 outlets at present, the brand plans to scale up to at least 500 outlets in the next 4-5 years, both in India and abroad at an investment of around Rs 120 crore.

On the international front, Cocoberry plans to first go to West Asia followed by South-east Asian countries.

The Monk restaurant on expansion mode

Mar 01, 2011

The Monk restaurant has recently opened its first franchise outlet in Delhi. The 2,450-square feet at DLF Place, Saket is The Monk's second outlet in NCR -- the maiden restaurant is located at The Galaxy Hotel and Spa in Gurgaon.

The company has invested close to Rs 2.5 crore on the Saket outlet, which has a seating capacity of 80, and expects the average bill size to be around Rs 1,200 (excluding taxes) for two people, reports IndiaRetailing.

Asad Islam, CEO, Great Indian Hospitality Company, which runs The Monk, said, “We are currently in the process of opening the restaurant at TDI mall-Rajouri Garden in Delhi and Golf Course Road in Gurgaon. After this, we will open an outlet in Mumbai in the next three months.”

He further informed the company plans to take its restaurant to Bangalore and Hyderabad in South India.

The Monk restaurant on expansion mode

Mar 01, 2011

The Monk restaurant has recently opened its first franchise outlet in Delhi. The 2,450-square feet at DLF Place, Saket is The Monk's second outlet in NCR -- the maiden restaurant is located at The Galaxy Hotel and Spa in Gurgaon.

The company has invested close to Rs 2.5 crore on the Saket outlet, which has a seating capacity of 80, and expects the average bill size to be around Rs 1,200 (excluding taxes) for two people, reports IndiaRetailing.

Asad Islam, CEO, Great Indian Hospitality Company, which runs The Monk, said, “We are currently in the process of opening the restaurant at TDI mall-Rajouri Garden in Delhi and Golf Course Road in Gurgaon. After this, we will open an outlet in Mumbai in the next three months.”

He further informed the company plans to take its restaurant to Bangalore and Hyderabad in South India.