Dheya Hires Sparkleminds to Roll Out Career Guidance Franchise Centers across India.

Dheya, A Pune, India, Headquartered organization, pioneering the career development and career guidance industry in India has chalked out aggressive business expansion plans over the next couple of years. It has Hired Sparkleminds to advise its business expansion, strategically build the franchise model and help it recruit franchises across India over the next 3 years. Dheya is a Career Development organization focused on Career Guidance, Career Planning and Career Development activities for students, founded in 2005 by Mr Anand Desai. Dheya has scientifically developed its own Psychometric Assessments, Career Guidance, Career Planning & Career development methods, processes and Tools. It also runs India’s first career assessment portal called www.dheya.com focused on career assessment, career planning, career development and employability.

Ms. Aditi Bhattacharya, Co-founder and Head Research, mentioned ‘Dheya today has an unmatched research on career streams, education streams and career decision tools, with in-depth study of more than 600 career streams and 250+ education streams for India. With proprietary reliable and well researched tools & methods, Dheya helps students and professionals in realizing true potential, plan a fulfilling career and build personal competence & life skills to achieve greater heights and success.’

Anand Desai, CEO Dheya, said on the occasion that ‘Dheya’s USP is its unique proprietary intellectual property that includes their Psychometric testing tools , Career planning methods and processes, Career Information and Research, Leadership competency Model, Business Simulations and Exercises, Competency Assessment Tool etc. Our competitive edge is the indigenously developed reliable career assessment and psychometric testing tools. The approach to career solutions that we bring to table is unique, systematic, research based and scientific. Over the next 3 years we plan to be in every major city and town in India and are glad to have hired Sparkleminds to get us there.’

Commenting on the Association, Mr Amit Nahar, CEO Sparkleminds said, ‘India is evolving, the job market is maturing and opportunities are ample. Indian companies have become multi nationals and foreign brands are setting up operations in India. With maturity of companies come job profiles which are more detailed and demanding. India has the youngest population in the World with 38% of the nation’s population studying (Age: 6-24) The Indian education industry is expected to reach a valuation of $110 billion by 2016. Currently we have 431 universities, 21000 colleges and a staggering 11.9 lac schools in India out of which 27% of students are educated privately. According to a recent study only 25% of graduates are actually employable. This number is shockingly low considering the amount of effort and money one spends to finish education and this is where we believe there is an urgent need of organizations like Dheya to work across the country and increase the net productivity of our nation and to match people with the right skills and help them take up the right career streams. We look forward to working closely with Dheya in helping them get 50 franchises across India in the next 3 years.’

Notes to the Editor:

About Dheya:

Dheya is a Pune, India Based Career Guidance & Development Organization focused primarily on career assessment, planning and development and employability development and building success competence. Dheya intellectual property includes the indigenously developed assessments (Several ability tests, personality assessments, skill inventory, values inventory, interest inventory etc.). Dheya has developed a matching engine that helped us in matching the results of the assessments to 600+ career monographs. Dheya today has a web content of 20000+ pages that includes information on 600+ careers, 250+ areas of education, 140+ degree/diploma programs, 270+ specializations.

Dheya started with a research and content team that built monographs of various careers over the initial 3 years. The company also developed its own psychological assessment tools, tested reliability and validity for the tools and set up Indian norms by testing 1200+ students. Thereafter the company launched India’s first career assessment portal called www.dheya.com focused on career assessment, career planning, career development and employability.

Hamleys to enter Gujarat

UK based toy retailer Hamleys is set to expand its India presence by opening a new store in Ahmedabad. The first Hamleys flagship store in India opened in Mumbai followed by one in Chennai. The brand is in a franchise agreement with Reliance Retail. The Ahmedabad store will be spread over 10,000 sq.ft of space in AlphaOne mall.

Alpha G:Corp that operates Gujarat’s biggest mall in the Vastrapur area confirmed this news and added that the store will be functional by September.

The brand also operates in different formats, including concessions stores, toy box and travel stores in the UK, Europe and the Middle-East. These stores sell a wide range of toys like playhouses, vehicles, family games, action toys, dolls, pre-school toys and soft toys among others for children up to 14 years.

Me n Moms unveils first franchise outlet in India

Me n Moms, the fastest growing homegrown retail kids wear and accessories chain, has launched its first franchise store in the country. Located in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, the store is spread across 1,000 square feet, and exhibits a dedicated range of kids wear and accessories under seven categories along with maternity care products for pre-natal and post-natal care. The store aims to become a ‘one-stop destination’ for both mothers and their children. 

Naresh Khatar, chairman and managing director, Me n Moms, said, “Keeping in mind the fact that the Indian market for Infant’s apparel is registering a healthy annual growth rate of more than 15 per cent and India is poised to be one of the largest consumer markets, a lot remains to be tapped in the organized retail space thus paving opportunities for franchise models as well. We are happy to announce our first franchise owned and operated store in Guntur. “

“We have chosen this route to grow faster and keep ourselves abreast with the ever changing retail scenario. We have arrived at selecting this city for pursuing our franchise model, post careful evaluation of markets. We are looking at replicating this model across India for our brand,” Khatar added. 

The products at Me n Moms range from footwear, furniture and toys to baby play-time and bath-time accessories. It also offers products from several other big brands in the same category under one roof as well as tailor-made products for expecting and new mothers. The products are a combination of quality and affordability par excellence that aim to promote the ‘joy of parenting’. 

The company currently has a turnover of Rs 80 crore and aims to reach the Rs 300 crore mark within the next five years. It currently has 12 exclusive stores (Lucknow: 1, Hyderabad: 3, Mumbai: 3, Noida: 1, Pune: 3, Nasik: 1)

Planet Retail signs long-term franchisee deal with Debenhams

Planet Retail has forged a 10-year master franchise agreement with the UK-based retailer, Debenhams, as it believes there will be less chances of the latter trying to independently set up operations once FDI in retail is finally allowed, reports Business Line. 

Aditya Nadkarni, business head, Debenhams, said, “Since Debenhams already has a partner in India it can exercise a long-term option. There are going to be less chances of it breaking away once FDI is allowed. It is better to either have a joint venture or a long-term agreement and in our case we have a 10-year franchise deal with Debenhams.” 

Master franchise agreements can vary between 5 and 20 years. With FDI in retail coming in, short-term agreements are likely to end. As Nadkarni says, “There will be a big shuffle once FDI comes in and new positions will be formed as some brands would like to do business on their own.’’ As a master franchise, Planet Retail imports, markets and operates stores on behalf of Debenhams in India. 

Having completed four years in the Indian market, Debenhams has been positioned as a woman-centric premium brand catering to women between 35 and 45 years of age. 

“Our stores have an international feel and we are spending Rs 5,000 per sq ft which is a huge premium compared to other departmental stores. Having changed our positioning, we intend to open 3 to 4 stores smaller stores at 30,000 sq ft every year. There is still no premium woman-centric store in the country and we believe we will be differentiating ourselves from the typical department store which mainly caters to men’s clothing,’’ said Nadkarni. 

Currently, Debenhams has three stores and its first store in Gurgaon’s Ambience mall has broken even at the store level while the new ones in Mumbai and Bangalore will take another year-and-a-half to do so, the report added.

Gitanjali pursuing retail expansion through franchise model

The Rs 12,000-crore Gitanjali Group, which receives 60 per cent of its total revenues from retail operations, is planning to add 25 more large-format, multi-brand franchisee stores in the current calendar year. The company launched the largest-ever franchisee store, with over 12,000-sft space and 9,000 varieties of jewellery on offer, in Hyderabad on Saturday. 

Gitanjali Jewellery Retail Private Ltd managing director Santosh Srivastava said that the company was pushing more retail outlets in the franchisee mode as they help built trust for the brand among the customers on the back of a trusting local partner. 

The company, which currently has 75 franchisee stores, account for 80 per cent of the company’s retail sales in the country. According to Srivastava, the economic slowdown had no significant impact on its retail business as the purchase of jewellery was more to do with Indian tradition. 

“We grew 70 per cent year-on-year and would continue to grow at this level in the next three to five years,” he told reporters. The company proposes to double the retail franchisee network in the country by 2015, Srivastava added. 

Pankaj Doshi, managing director of Doshi Gems and Jewels Private Limited, who owns the newly-opened franchisee store, said he expected to post at least Rs 50-crore sales in the first year. 

Anu Solar to take franchise route to open 2,000 solar product stores

Solar powered electronic products will now be available at retail stores across the country. These stores will sell varied products ranging from solar water heaters to solar powered calculators, caps with fans that run on solar power, solar power storing batteries and inverters. Bangalore-based Anu Solar pvt ltd, a leading manufacturer and seller of solar products, will open 2,000 stores across India on franchisee basis. 

"These will be called 'one-stop experience stores' as the store and all the office equipments will also run on solar power, in order to show the public, the use and benefits of solar power," said T J Joseph, managing director, Anu Solar. 

The government wants to encourage the use of solar energy but currently there are no private retailers for solar products. 

The ministry of new and renewable energy has been promoting private entrepreneurs to open 'Akshay Urja shops' to sell and promote solar products but since 2002, only 300 shops have been established across the country and a good number of them are not functioning and there is no shop in the capital. 

"We want the public to experience the power of solar and also raise awareness for the same," said Joseph. For Delhi, Joseph said there was an expression of interest from a client who plans to open 40 retail stores. 

The company plans to make at least 20 stores operational by the end of the year, including one each in Bangalore and Madurai by September. With an investment of around Rs 25 lakh per store, the turnover expected is Rs 6 crore per year per store. By the end of the current financial year, the company hopes to open 50 stores. 

These stores will sell a variety of products at MNRE subsidised rates. "As we are channel partners with MNRE, we provide government-approved subsidy on all products," said Joseph. 

Solar photovoltaic cells, solar power storing batteries, inverters, solar water heaters are some of the products which the company will propagate the most and major sales will depend on them.

Liyans Commerce Pvt Ltd, Kolkata participates at Pragati Maidan Franchise Expo on 7-8 July for Delhi NCR. Offers Project Marketing Management Franchise.

For the first time in the world a project marketing real estate franchise is being launched for Delhi NCR at The Pragati Maidan Sat/Sun 7-8 July 2012. Liyans Real Estate will be soliciting responses for Delhi NCR Master Franchisee through this expo, wherein we will approve exclusive state development rights for the approved master franchises who will have to invest Rs 20-25 Lakhs and will have to operate one unit franchise themselves. Liyans Commerce Pvt Ltd, A venture of the promoters of one of the largest Real Estate Marketing Conglomerate of Eastern India, Somani Realtors Pvt. Ltd. (SRPL), a leading Real Estate Brand having a strong presence in East India. Understanding the potential of the Real Estate Industry Liyans is a Real Estate Solutions Franchise catering to the need of LIG/MIG Housing, there by building a trusted brand in public at large and also providing home solutions with strategic advice, option of choice from wide range of alternative properties at the best price, we feel that it is appropriate to solicit for franchisees who will offer these services in the region. We will then assist these master franchises to develop their territory by appointing further unit franchises who will come in with an initial investment of 12-15 Lakhs.

Commenting upon the franchise recruitment strategy for 2012 for Liyans Real Estate India, Mr Amit Nahar CEO Sparkleminds stated that “we have an aggressive franchise marketing plan and will look at recruiting over 1000 franchises across India in the next 5 Years. We hope to reach out to some qualitative individuals and groups who are seeking master franchise opportunities in the real estate brokerage industry in the south India region.” 

Sparkleminds Begins Recruitments For Unit Franchises For BG Cleaning Systems at Pragati Maidan, Franchise Expo on 7-8 July for Delhi NCR.

After the appointment of ProClean Services Pvt Ltd as the Master Franchise For BG Cleaning in Delhi NCR, Sparkleminds is now participating at  the Times Franchise Expo in Delhi, India on 7-8 July 2012 at Pragati Maidan to assist the Master Franchisee in recruiting unit franchises for its world class commercial cleaning services across the region.

BG Cleaning Systems is a leading international cleaning & facility services company that offers a wide gamut of services from housekeeping services to specialized cleaning services, and also provides facility services.  BG is well known for its high quality standards, and for its dynamic and innovative concepts and systems which address the market‘s cleaning needs in a unique and  systematic yet personalized manner.

We are now seeking qualified Unit Franchise Partners in Delhi NCR.We are seeking franchises in Gurgaon,Noida,Faridabad, Meerut, Ghaziabad, and all regions of Delhi Including West Delhi, North Delhi, South Delhi & Central Delhi. Sparkleminds franchise team will be at the said exhibition to meet with interested and qualified business entrepreneurs who have good business acumen and the right bandwidth. The initial investment needed to avail of a BG unit franchise is around 14-15 lakh Rupees which includes an exclusive teritorry, equipments, a branded BG Van, Bike, and a 14 day initial training program at Iceland.

BG Cleaning Systems Delhi NCR launched its operations in June 2012 under the able leadership and management of Mr. Amitabh Pandey, the Master Franchisee for Delhi NCR. BG Delhi is now offering housekeeping services, special cleaning services and facility services to government institutions, commercial establishments, SMEs, hotels, schools, stores, private institutions,  malls, apartment buildings, and all other types of facilities while adhering to BG‘s strict international standards.

“ The need for professional cleaning services exists in the Delhi NCR. As an international brand we will devote ourself to addressing this basic need in the market and will hope that this will elevate the cleaning industry of India to a superior level of excellence,“ said Mr. Pandey.

Among the housekeeping services offered by BG Cleaning Systems Delhi to its diverse clientele are daily cleaning services and regular cleaning services.  To complement and augment these services, BG also caters to the special cleaning needs of both the public and private sectors. In addition to these, BG furnishes its customers with facility services which include messengerial services, office assistant services, pantry services and more.

BG  Cleaning  Systems is a systematic yet flexible organization, making it your ideal business partner anytime, anywhere.

Myth & reality of franchise business

The world over franchise business is being promoted as a safe and profitable business, with very high rate of success, compared to independent small businesses. However, the fact remains that the success rate of a franchise business depends on franchisee to franchisee. 

Among the many myths surrounding the franchise business, the first and foremost is that it’s a safe, risk-free business. Prospective franchisees should not develop any misunderstanding that franchising is a sure recipe for success. They should not get into this business merely on emotion and gut feel. Rather, should take an informed and careful decision before signing a brand. 

A prospective franchisee should carefully study the franchise model and go for the one which is easy to manage and where there is strong support from the franchisor. One must clearly understand that the success of franchise system depends on the efficacy of the franchise system and how religiously one follows it. Feedback from existing franchisees of the brand will give prospective franchisee a fair idea about the success of the franchise system. The success or failure of any franchise business depends a lot on the franchisee. If a weak or unsuitable franchisee without any interest or knowledge of a particular category of business gets into the franchise system in the absence of a relevant selection criteria or procedures, surely, it’s a weak foundation for that franchisee business. 

Many people get into franchising, holding a myth that anyone can make a success of franchise business and that they can make good money in short time by putting in lesser amount of efforts, compared to independent business. If you get into franchise business on this wrong promise and with unrealistic expectations, you are bound to tread on a risky road that may not lead you to success. 

Those desirous of getting into franchise business should be fully aware of its pitfalls. They must realise that like an independent business, they require sufficient working capital with family and social support. 

Another significant aspect of franchise business is that the prospective franchisees must have interest in their line of business and possess temperament and skill to engage with the team as well as with customers. Those having strong independent personality/outlook, may not fit into the franchise culture/system. If they want to make success of their business, they will have to learn to make adjustments. They should also have patience to build on the business. Before getting into franchise business, one must realise that his relationship with his franchisor is the key to the success of his venture. And the success of his business will depend on how well he manages this relationship. 

Business acumen is an important asset of a franchisee. And it surely adds to the chances of success in business if the franchisee has previous experience of running business. Work ethics, organisational and leadership skills and customer-focussed approach with the ability to communicate and network are the assets of a successful franchisee. 

In short, with business minded approach, constructive franchise relationship and vision for the future of his business, an entrepreneur can make his franchise business successful. 

Floriana Marble plans to increase retail footprint

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.

UK's PizzaExpress to debut in India soon; hires CEO

The UK-based casual dining restaurant chain PizzaExpress has kicked off the process of starting its India operation, almost eight months after signing a 50-50 joint venture partnership with Bharti Family Office. As a first step, a chief executive officer (CEO) has been hired for the India business, and the company is learnt to be looking at a year-end launch of the chain. The first few outlets of the PizzaExpress chain are expected to open in metros like Mumbai and Delhi, reports Business Standard.

Ramit Mittal, son of Rakesh Mittal, vice-chairman and managing director of Bharti Enterprises and elder brother of Bharti Group chairman Sunil Mittal, is spearheading the PizzaExpress project from the Bharti Family Office side. Bharti Family Office is an initiative of the promoters of the Bharti group through their personal investments. The Bharti group’s business interest ranges from telecom to media to retail. 

Since Ramit Mittal, 33, is already based in Mumbai as co-founder and joint managing director of Bulldog Media and Entertainment, PizzaExpress is likely to have its India headquarters in the same city, people close to the development say. 

An official representing the joint venture confirmed that Vivek Mathur, who’s coming from the Godrej group, has been appointed CEO for PizzaExpress India. Over the next two to three months, many more senior and middle-level appointments are slated to take place. 

Mathur was executive director and president (marketing, sales and innovation) at Godrej Consumer Products Ltd. Prior to that, he was managing director at Godrej Hershey Ltd and chief operating officer (marketing, sales) at Godrej Sara Lee. He has also worked with Tata Global Beverages Ltd and Hindustan Unilever Ltd. 

“The joint venture is making progress as per our plans. We continue to work on developing the brand, business and team in India. However, at this stage, we don’t have anything specific to share,” a company spokesperson was quoted as saying in the report.