IndiaOnline.In to Expand Its Business Via Franchisees

India’s online network, IndiaOnline.in has plans to expand its business network through 5,000 franchisees all over India. It is a one-stop shop for acquiring quality information about India and is a unique amalgamation of 350+ websites covering every state, city and town of India.

India Online Network has been in existence since the last five years and now it has brought a unique business opportunity for masses to join the Internet revolution in the country by partnering with them. IndiaOnline.in in its endeavour to create a network of more than 4,000 Business Associates from all over India, is inviting applications to join the network as Business Associate from each and every city and town of India. Smaller towns with less than two lakh population will have 1- 5 business associates per town or city while bigger cities will have multiple associates depending upon the size and population of the city.

Rahul Jalan, Director, Indiaonline.in says, “We take pride in expanding ourselves through the franchise route as we feel we will be creating a huge self-employment opportunity in every city and even the smallest of towns in India. By expanding our network, we wish to bring forward a unique business opportunity for anyone who joins our network as a Business Associate. We at India Online Network are striving hard to make India Online Network – a true synonym of the online information system India.”

Any-one who qualifies to become a Business Associate will have to pay a one-time very nominal non-refundable joining fee of Rs. 2000/- to 7000/- depending upon the city tier. It is a considerable and unique business and self employment opportunity for individuals, web designers, web marketing firms, cyber cafes, Aadvertising agencies, marketers, freelancers and even Students. The qualification needed to become the Business Associate is minimum 10+2 pass with reasonable knowledge of Internet with access to Internet connection.

The role of a Business Associate would be to promote and sell various paid membership, website and listing services among the businesses, industries and small businesses in their own city/town and also other local advertising options.

Oregano Restaurant Rolls Out Widespread Franchise Expansion Plan

The success of Oregano  in the midst of the burgeoning Dubai food market is simply a testament of its thriving business model and the market demand for great tasting authentic Italian cooking. In order to capitalize on this opportunity, Oregano has conducted a thorough franchise development program. As a result, Oregano franchise opportunity is now open to individuals and corporate investors who can repeat the success of Oregano in new market destinations worldwide.

Oregano restaurant was originally founded on the conviction that people all over the world experience the flavorsome recipes of Liguria – the culinary capital of Italy. It currently operates 6 restaurant outlets across prime locations serving healthy, delicious and authentic Italian cuisines to a wide range of dine-in, take-out and delivery Italian food lovers.

Mr. Joey Tawil, Head of Franchise at Oregano states, “Our primary goal is to share our passion for cooking thus giving all guests a taste of Liguria. We accomplish this through delivery of superior quality food and beverages while providing outstanding customer service and exceptional dining experience to every customer, every single day.”

“Oregano franchise endeavors to open 75 outlets in the next five years across target markets through organic growth and proven franchise strategy. Our initial focus is to recruit franchise investors across neighboring GCC countries and throughout the MENA region. Later, franchise units will be sold throughout emerging markets such as India, China and so forth. With a thriving business model and a solid franchising system, Oregano franchise ensures that franchisees are successful from the start,” he added.

Bulgari re-enters India, opens first boutique store in Delhi

Luxury jewellery company Bulgari has re-entered India and opened its first boutique store at New Delhi’s DLF Emporio after getting nod from the Foreign Investment Promotion Board to set up single retail brand stores under a joint venture.

A part of the LVMH Group, the Italian brand is known for its jewellery, watches, accessories and fragrances. Earlier, the brand was present in India through a franchise partner, but withdrew its stores in 2011.

“Indians are very big jewellery consumers and are buying more than any other nation. But they are largely buying from family and neighbourhood jewellers, who are essentially local players. We are selling jewellery across many countries and believe we will be able to get a growing market share out of the total cake. As the market is expanding, there is room for everybody to grow,” Jean-Christophe Babin, CEO of the Bulgari Group, told Business Line. He said Indian consumers buy Bulgari products when they travel abroad and contribute significantly to the company’s business when they are out of the country. Now that the company is establishing its boutique stores in the country, it hopes to get bigger business.

“In the current joint venture, we have a majority stake and we decide everything and we believe we can represent the brand in a more complete way and present all the facets of the brand and have more control over the distribution.” The company did not give specifics about its Indian partner.

Asked about expansion plans, Babin said, “Given the distribution of demographics in the country, there is room for growth for luxury brands in 5-10 cities in the coming years. But the point is that there are not the right kinds of retail spaces or malls in these cities that meet the requirements of luxury brands.”

He said the company could look at opening boutique stores in luxury hotels but added that these had limitations as they attract limited traffic and are not enough to develop a big luxury business.

“Our expansion strategy will need to be a combination of luxury malls and selective luxury hotels,” Babin added. For now, the company is looking out for the right kind of luxury retail spaces to open additional boutique stores.

Nando’s expands presence in India, opens another outlet

Nando’s, a chain of casual dining restaurants based in South Africa, has opened its third franchise of Flame Grilled Peri-Peri Chicken restaurant in Connaught Place here Thursday night.

The Nando’s flame landed in India in 2010 and since then, the brand has got two franchises in Delhi including the first Vasant Kunj and second at Gurgaon.

The restaurant is know for it’s chicken and that is the reason other type of meat or even fish remains elusive from the menu. The emphasis is on chicken and it can seen when the dish is served.

The restaurant, which was started in South Africa in 1987, also keeps health quotient in mind as the chicken is not fried but grilled.

“Nando’s stand for chicken and chips and we are not diluting it to come to India. The product is the same across the world. The popularity has increased immensely with people getting over fast food and moving towards a healthier choice,” said Deepinder Singh Batth, CEO, Nando’s Delhi.

With eclectic interiors done in all-natural shades of wood and Afro music playing in the background, the restaurant promises to give a glimpse of the African side to the customers.

The dish not to miss out is Peri-Peri chicken which happens to be their signature dish. Their formula is to marinate chicken for 24 hours and grill it with the addition of various levels of chilli for a spicy style. One can choose from variety of sauces like lemon and herb, mild, hot and extra hot.

However, vegetarians need to get gloomy as there is also an array of decent vegetarian dishes too like Peri-Peri paneer kebabs. The place goes easy on the pocket with fairly priced menu.

“The idea is to provide a good and filling meal at a good price. Hence we have priced our food accordingly,” Batth said.

Sennheiser to open five exclusive outlets in India

German audio products company, Sennheiser, is planning to open five exclusive retail outlets in franchisee mode across India over the next three years, according to Kapil Gulati, India vice-president (sales and marketing – consumer segment).

The company, which forayed into the Indian market in 2007, opened its first exclusive showroom in Kolkata in January 2014. Pan-India, it also has nine shop-in-shops and over 2,500 touch points, with plans to double the number over the next two years.

“South India is a key market for us, contributing over 40 per cent to our India revenues. We are looking at setting up one of the proposed exclusive showrooms down south,” Gulati told mediapersons here on Tuesday.

Sennheiser, which has been witnessing a 70 per cent year-on-year growth in India, currently has over 100 headset models in its India portfolio, with prices of in-ear headphones starting from Rs 990 and on-ear headsets from Rs 1,490. “From Sennheiser’s standpoint, in-ear headphones still command 60 per cent of the Indian headset market,” he added.

Payless Shoesource has India on radar as huge opportunity, says Executive VP

Payless Shoesource is setting up base in India with stores in Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kochi, Coimbatore, Madurai, Mangalore, and Mysore. An American discount footwear retailer headquartered in Topeka, Kansas, it started franchisee business in India in association with Reliance Retail Ltd Payless currently has about 4,400 stores in more than 30 countries around the world.

Steve Gish, Executive Vice President, Payless ShoeSource said... It took us a long time to work out the courage to go to the international market and what we found from the start is that our brand works really well around the world. And it works particularly well in emerging markets that are growing quickly and there is an emerging middle class, which is why on trend products with great value makes it the kind of place where people will shop… In 2009 we started to do franchising. So we have started fairly recently in the franchising business and we have always have had India on our radar as a huge opportunity and we connected with our friends at reliance. We think they're the right partner and we're fortunate to be in business with them. Great experience across a lot of businesses, particularly retail. So it sounds perfect.

Gopalakrishnan Sankar, Reliance Retail's CEO of Footwear Business said..This is value fashion. The idea was to convert a lot of the unorganised market today in footwear, which is as high as 60 per cent, to the organised fold. The price range here typically you could fit most of it between Rs. 500 and Rs. 2500. It's a tight range.

We're looking for serious market leadership in the (footwear) segment, and you achieve that with different formats. We have an existing format (Reliance Footprints), which is doing its job. Then we have Payless, which is in the value segment, also the broadest segment. Because the prices are attractive and it is a family store, it can travel far and beyond. It can go beyond the first 100 top cities. So you can open as many stores as the market can take. So it's a big vehicle to capture market share in a short period of time. Footprint we have crossed 200 stores across 100 cities, and Payless has the potential to go well across 100 cities. It could go to tier 2 cities, tier 3 also. We'll experiment.

At Footprint you can find a shoe for Rs. 11000, while Payless we're talking about a tight fashionable range of Rs. 500 to Rs. 2500. Most of the Payless stores are going to be between 1500 to 2000 sq ft.

There are collections every month. So there is something new all the time. And the shop is a far more promotional and fast changing environment. As a country America is far more promotional than India and Payless is a fairly energetic, vibrant and promotional brand. We hope to bring in all that with eight to ten promotions every year related to time, seasons, or festivals. It's all well organised.

Future group acquires supermarket chain Nilgiris

Future Consumer Enterprise Ltd, part of Kishore Biyani’s Future Group, today announced the acquisition of south India-based supermarket chain Nilgiris for an undisclosed sum.

“Future Consumer Enterprise Ltd ((FCEL) today completed the acquisition of the Nilgiris convenience store chain in the southern states of Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu,” the company said in a statement.

Commenting on the acquisition, Future Group CEO Kishore Biyani said, “FCEL’s acquisition of Nilgiris, a leading food and grocery convenience store chain in South India having a unique portfolio of food brands supported by its own manufacturing facilities for dairy and bakery, is another step towards building a robust convenience store network in India.”

He further said: “This acquisition is synergistic as it enables strengthening and expanding convenience stores through franchises in an asset light model as well as brings in new manufacturing capabilities and brands within the company.”

Nilgiris operates a franchisee-operated convenience store chain with 140 outlets in key urban centres in the four southern states and it also owns a portfolio of brands in dairy, bakery, chocolates and staples along with their manufacturing facilities in Bangalore, the statement said.

A select product range of the brand is also retailed through general trade along with in-store bakeries in few stores.

The company manages the back-end operations including procurement, logistics and IT for the stores and operates 8 distribution centres along with a fleet of vehicles, including refrigerated ones that cater to the supply of its own dairy, bakery and chocolate brands to its outlets.

This acquisition by FCEL will lead to geographical expansion of the convenience store network in southern India, as presently its existing footprint is primarily concentrated in north and west India, the company said.

Nilgiris’ branded bakery and dairy products will also be channelised across Future Group’s existing channels including Big Bazaar, Foodhall and Aadhaar and also extended to other modern retailers, the statement added.

Similarly, the FCEL’s existing portfolio of brands including Sunkist, Tasty Treat, Golden Harvest, Premium Harvest, Sach Ektaa, CleanMate and CareMate will be chanellised through Niligiris store network.

Additionally, Nilgiris’ expertise in running a successful franchisee network will be leveraged to expand the existing footprint of convenience stores via a franchisee model.

Fabfurnish.Com To Launch Stores Via Franchise Route

Leading online player in the home furnishings and furniture category, Fabfurnish.com has plans to open modular kitchen and wardrobes stores at the end of this month. All of them will be franchisee run outlets.  Besides its successful online presence, the brand has two stores in Delhi-NCR and two in Bengaluru.

Vikram Chopra, CEO & Founder, Fabfurnish.com says: “Since we are expanding our scope of leveraging our brand, we think of offline as an experience and not as a sales point. This is why, we partner with those who share our vision of creating an experience more than a sales standpoint. We would pick someone who would nurture it and further help us build our brand.  We are looking at opening partner stores in Pune, Hyderabad, Noida, New Delhi and Chennai, as there is an encouraging customer demand in these cities. All of these will be franchise outlets.”

On the offline presence Chopra adds: “As a brand, we want to provide a holistic experience to our consumers, and offline stores help us do that by giving customers a chance to experience the products before they buy. Thus, stores also help us build trust and credibility.”

Brand’s target group is urbane homemaker, in the age-group of 26-45 years, who is tech-savvy, well-informed, and has a taste for good living.

Gold’s Gym Opens 11th Centre In Bengaluru

Leading international fitness chain, Gold’s Gym launched its eleventh gym in Bengaluru in the area of Banashankari. The large 12000 sq. ft. gym is complete with equipment from Precor, a Group Ex studio, a Spinning studio and a juice bar. The gym already had 600 members before the start date.

Althea Shah, Vice President, Gold’s Gym India informed: “We are excited to be in Bengaluru for the eleventh time. Gold’s Gym now has 85 operational gyms in India in 42 cities.”

Gold’s Gym has carved a niche in India in just 11 years. It is acknowledged for its unrivalled success in providing the finest equipment and fitness knowledge available to help its members achieve their individual potential. It follows a globally proven fitness training module with state-of-the-art infrastructure, delivery methodology and continuous up gradation through training programs with certified trainers and nutritional counseling.”

Gold’s Gym India is planning to further expand its presence across India. The company is eyeing tier II and III cities to tap country’s growing fitness market. Gold’s Gym’s aim is to have 150 operational gyms very soon. Being the undisputed, worldwide leader in fitness, it is serving its clients for the past 47 years. Gold’s Gym India will be offering franchise opportunities throughout India, Bangladesh, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Singapore, Malayasia and Thailand. The Gold's Gym franchise program has been designed to give top gym operators and entrepreneurs around the world the opportunity to benefitted by representing the Gold's Gym brand and becoming part of the strongest network in the $13 billion fitness industry globally.

Have commercial space? Invest in an ATM to generate income

Commercial real estate is typically a more lucrative investment than residential property because of the higher rate of return. Besides running your own business or renting the space to some other business, you can now consider another option—renting it out to a bank for setting up an automated teller machine or ATM. According to the RBI, there is need for more ATMs in the country and to address this issue of financial inclusion, the apex bank has allowed seven non-banking financial companies ( (NBFCs) to open white-label ATMs. 

An ATM owned and operated by an NBFC is called a white-label ATM. While a majority of white-label ATMs are to be set up in rural areas, a small percentage has to be installed in urban and semi-urban areas. For instance, Vakarangee is mandated to set up a minimum of 15,000 white-label ATMs in three years with a rural-to-urban ratio of 2:1. The Tata Communications Payment Solutions (TCPSL) will set up almost 5,000 of the mandated 15,000 ATMs in metros and urban markets.

When it comes to urban and semi-urban locations, there are basically two ways in which you can use your commercial space to earn additional income via the white-label ATM route. 

Rent out the space 

You can rent out your commercial space to a white-label ATM provider such as Prism Payment Solutions. Under its brand name, it deploys ATMs at locations with high footfall and good visibility across the country. Another option is to rent out a part of your commercial space while you continue to use it for your own business. Take BTI Payments Solutions' ATM-in-a shop concept. It allows for the ATM to be set up within the existing businesses premises, such as retail chains, shopping centres, businesses, standalone shops in urban locations, including Chennai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru. The rent you will get from the NBFCs will depend on factors like the city and the location of the ATM. 

Franchise ATM

Another way for leveraging your commercial space is by taking an ATM franchise. This model has been launched by TCPSL. "People can invest money in an ATM franchise and earn a return on their investment. If you have lobby space of 25 sq ft, or at least a 50 sq ft room, you can take the franchise of Indicash TATA  ATM. "The operation and repairs of Indicash are taken care of by us," says Sanjeev Patel, CEO, TCPSL. The company will also bear the electricity charges and install the required electronic security equipment. Of course, the locations with the highest footfall will be most preferred

Shiv Sagar opens its door in Delhi, to open outlet in Janpath

Shiv Sagar Veg Restaurant, which has its root in West and South India, is planning to enter Delhi soon.

The restaurant which is planning to enter in the city this November will be opening an outlet at Janpath, New Delhi.

The restaurant will be entering Delhi with a franchise partner. “Our main target for the next two years is North India”, said, Shridhar Poojary, Owner, Shiv Sagar Veg Restaurant.

Shiv Sagar Veg Restaurant was started in 1982 to provide authentic vegetarian food.  Their speciality lies in serving multi cuisine vegetarian foods.

The restaurant serves everything from Mexican, American, Italian, Japanese and Chinese.

Presently, the restaurant has its outlet in cities like Mumbai, Pune, Goa and Kolkata. And has their franchised outlet in Ahmedabad and Baroda.

Atulya Mittal to buy Pizza Corner

Pizza Corner operates 70 outlets across the four southern states and around 75 percent of Pizza Corner outlets are company owned, while the remaining were being operated under the franchise route.

Atulya Mittal, the Ispat industries scion is planning to buy Pizza Corner, India’s first pizza chain, stated a report in ET.

Atulya Mittal also runs Papa John's Pizza in India which has 20 outlets across the country.

Pizza Corner, owned by Bangkok-based billionaire Fred Mouawad, entered India in 1996.

The Pizza chain is part of Mouawad's Global Franchise Architects (GFA), which owns and operates other fast food brands in the country such as Donut Baker, Cream and Fudge, and Coffee World.

The discussions between Atulya and GFA were at an advanced stage, said sources close to the agreement. The deal may be structured as a merger of the Pizza Corner operations with Papa John's through a combination of cash payout and share swap, leaving Mouawad with an attractive monetizing plan.

Pizza Corner operates 70 outlets across the four southern states and around 75 percent of Pizza Corner outlets are company owned, while the remaining were being operated under the franchise route.

The Mittal family last year acquired Om Pizzas and Eats, a master franchisor of Papa John's in India, from TVS Capital, which continues to hold a minority stake. 

Subway Opens South India’s 100th Restaurant In Mysore

Subway, the world’s largest submarine sandwich restaurant chain, opened its 100th restaurant in South India in Mysore. The restaurant is located on Gokulam Main Road.

“We are happy to be a part of the brand's growth in the country especially since the 100th store will be opening in the beautiful and historic city of Mysore,” said Rahul Bhalla, Development Agent, Subway Restaurants in the southern territory.

The milestone marks the strength and consistent growth of the Subway brand, which has opened more than 42,000 restaurants in 107 countries. Subway opened its first restaurant in 2001 in New Delhi and has since then been going strong with a network of 472 restaurants in over 70 cities. Subway restaurant has aggressive growth plans for the region, in line with the brand’s growth ambitions for India, according to which the chain plans to have over 500 restaurants by the end of 2014 and 1000 restaurants by the end of 2017 in India. 

Healthy food offerings, franchise based business model and consumer focus like adapting the menu according to the needs and demands of the operating market is the USP of Subway.

CENTURY 21 Real Estate Continues Global Expansion By Growing Its Presence In Asian, African & South American Markets

CENTURY 21 Real Estate, the iconic brand and franchisor of the world's largest residential real estate sales organization, announced that its global footprint has expanded in Asia, Africa and South America with the recent opening of master franchise offices in Cambodia, India, Peru, and Tunisia. The announcement was made during the company's biannual International Master Franchisors Conference, held recently inMacau, a special administrative region of the People's Republic of China.

"Extending the brand's presence in these regions is consistent with our strategic plans for international growth," said Rick Davidson, president and chief executive officer of Century 21 Real Estate LLC. "More importantly, it reflects the confidence real estate entrepreneurs worldwide have in the ability of the CENTURY 21^® franchise business model to enable business success."

Last September, at the CENTURY 21 International Master Franchisors Conference in Dusseldorf, Germany, CENTURY 21 Real Estate announced the launch of its global website -- century21global.com. In its first year, century21global.com has featured about 300,000 exclusive property listings of the CENTURY 21 System, and has generated a significant quantity of buyer leads to C21^® System members. Coupled with the brand's online, proprietary referral network, Global Connector, century21global.com is linking global real estate consumers with the brokers and affiliated sales professionals of the CENTURY 21 System in an efficient manner.

"Consumers around the world know our brand and view CENTURY 21 real estate professionals as valuable and trusted resources," added Davidson. "International home buyers and real estate investors from both emerging and developed nations are not only finding relocation, second home and investment opportunities on the site, but they are also able to interact with the properties and with CENTURY 21 affiliated agents in the language and currencies to which they are accustomed."

Baskin Robbins To Take Its Store Count To 698 By 2015

Baskin Robbins, one of the largest chains of ice-cream specialty shops, has chalked out a vigorous expansion plan for the coming year. The brand is planning to open 150 new stores by the next year. It is looking forward to open parlours in 18 major cities including Mumbai, Pune, Goa, Indore, Kolkata, Guwahati, Kochi, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Trivendrum, Jaipur, Lucknow, Chandigarh, Delhi NCR, Surat, Baroda and Ahmedabad.

Sharing a word on the brand’s presence, Sanjay Coutinho, Chief Executive Officer, Baskin Robbins says, “We have 548 stores across 142 cities. All our stores are owned by individual franchisees.”

Baskin Robbins was founded in 1945 by Burton "Burt" Baskin and Irvine "Irv" Robbins who had a mutual love for old-fashioned ice cream and shared a dream to create an innovative ice cream store by providing customers a variety of flavours made with ingredients of the highest quality in an inviting atmosphere.

It is known for creating and marketing premium ice-cream and providing quality and value to consumers in nearly 50 countries across the globe. Baskin Robbins entered India in 1993 through a joint venture with The Graviss Group. Its first manufacturing plant outside North America was opened in Pune. The company has a dedicated team of people with expertise in the hospitality industry.  

Snap Fitness Pursues Aggressive Global Growth With New UK Master Development Agreement

Snap Fitness the world's leading 24/7 fitness franchise today announced a master development agreement for the United Kingdom with TwentyTwoYards Ltd. The agreement is one element of the Lift Brands-owned company's rapid international expansion; its Indian franchise partner recently announced plans to bring 300 new clubs to the second most-populous country in the world.
"The importance of living a healthy and active lifestyle transcends cultures" Peter Taunton Lift Brands CEO and Snap Fitness Founder said. "Snap Fitness' model has proven successful across multiple continents and with the fitness and business expertise of TwentyTwoYards we are confident America's fitness brand will be embraced by individuals across the pond."
As indicated by the 2014 State of the UK Fitness Industry Report the rapidly-growing low-cost market continues to drive the UK health and fitness industry's growth. Year over year the report found a 4.5 percent rise in the number of health club members. There are three Snap Fitness clubs currently operating and eight in development in the UK but the TwentyTwoYards group plans on opening 200 locations over the next four years.
"In the UK we have an ever-increasing awareness and desire to prioritize personal health and fitness" said Matt Quinn of TwentyTwoYards. "Snap Fitness clubs are helping more people than ever achieve their lifestyle goals and I couldn't be more excited to bring this internationally-proven brand to our country."
Snap Fitness is also expanding its footprint in the Indian market. Since selling its first franchise in 2009 Snap Fitness India has expanded rapidly with 50 clubs open or in development. Snap Fitness India CEO Dr. Virkam B.M. announced plans of opening 300 additional clubs by the end of 2017. The company which is pursuing new locations in cities including Delhi-NCR Bangalore Raipur and Kolkata.
With a total of 500 clubs opening over the next four years in the UK and India Snap Fitness is expecting to increase its number of clubs 25 percent.
"Entrepreneurs around the globe are recognizing the opportunity that Snap Fitness provides – not only is it a win for their portfolio but for the community as well" said Steele Smiley Lift Brands Chief Officer responsible for all domestic and international growth. "We are aggressively looking for the right partners to bring Snap Fitness to other emerging markets."

Under the agreements Snap Fitness provides master franchise partners with exclusive rights to use the fitness brand's trademarks intellectual property and systems for the length of the term. Additionally a dedicated team at Lift Brands headquarters in Chanhassen Minn. works directly with the companies to provide support.Currently Snap Fitness has more than 2000 clubs open or in development in 15 countries. 

Siyaram’s expanding aggressively using the franchising module

The textile giant Siyaram Silk Mills, has been on an expansion spree this year. It has been opening a new franchise every seventh day. The brand known for delivering the best suiting fabrics has always believed in its values and principles. Siyaram’s in this time is the largest Indian manufacturer of blended fabrics and is quick to adapt with the advancement going on in the technology space and fashion world.
 
The company’s vision is to be present in all cities and small towns reaching every common man in remote areas delivering international quality at affordable price. With active 170 Siyaram’s shops all over India, by the FY14-15, Siyaram’s aim is to touch 200 plus franchisee showrooms. The Siyaram’s franchisees also have tailoring service under brand name Tailor Fit which makes Siyaram’s shop a complete male wardrobe solution which has fabrics, readymade and accessories along with tailoring service. With consequent consumer friendly developments, Siyaram’s is confidently reaching great heights and will continue to brain storm new additions with time keeping the consumer in mind.
 
The brands that fall under Siyaram’s shop are, Siyaram’s Suitings & Shirtings, J. Hampstead Fabric & Apparel, Oxemberg, Mistair, Moretti, Roayle Linen and Miniature. The company along with Siyaram’s Shops is also planning to come up with exclusive Oxemberg shops which will display wide range of garments and accessories.
 
 The customers are highly satisfied with products and services provided in Siyaram showrooms, the brand plans to continue with the same efficient customer service across all its franchise stores.

AISECT's 'Bear Pre-School and Activity Club aims to open 100 branches across the country by 2018

After three decades of creating world class secondary and higher education products and solutions for learners across the country, Bhopal-based education group AISECT has ventured into the pre-school and activity club segment. The Brainy Bear Pre-School & Activity Club has been launched by the group as a first-of-its-kind affordable pre-school & activity hub chain for kids in cities, small towns as well as district level areas.

Adhering to the Group’s core philosophy of inclusivity in education, Brainy Bear Pre-School & Activity Club focuses on providing affordable and quality early childhood education for toddlers as well as a range of fun and knowledge based activities for school kids in the metros as well as smaller towns. The flagship centre of the brand has been launched in Bhopal and Brainy Bear Pre-School & Activity Club aims to penetrate across all major cities and districts in the country with about 100 centres operational by 2018.

The brand’s expansion will be through company owned centres as well as carefully chosen franchise centres in two formats – an urban centric model where the centre would be technology driven with a lot of focus on English language content and a less technology driven model for district level places where the centres would offer the same quality of learning techniques as the urban centric model but with an increased use of Hindi language content. A unique feature of all Brainy Bear Pre-Schools and Activity Clubs nationally will be that the complete staff on the premises will be female to ensure mental comfort of the parents.  

Commenting on this new offering by AISECT, Ms. Pallavi Rao Chaturvedi who is the Founder of Brainy Bear Pre-School & Activity Club and a Director of AISECT said, “Though organised preschool is one of the fastest growing verticals in the education industry, it is presently limited to the metros and only a select few tier-2 cities. Through this venture, our aim is to reach to the districts and small towns of India and provide quality interactive early education to children. We are also trying to strengthen the after school learning with a strong emphasis on experimentation and exploration. The early years are very critical to developing a love for life-long learning. With our carefully crafted curriculum which lays emphasis on a threefold development plan of knowledge, skills and values, we are sure of offering a solid foundation to the toddlers and school going kids. I am extremely keen to work with like-minded edupreneurs who want to be a part of our endeavor to create a healthy learning environment for a child’s overall development and growth.”

“This low investment, high profit franchise model will not only focus on the profit scope for our business partners; it will also take quality early education to children at the small town and district levels, providing them the joy of interactive learning irrespective of where in the country they are located.” Ms. Chaturvedi added.

Hidesign To Tap Tier-II Cities Via Franchise Model

Hidesign, a luxury leather brand, is looking forward to take its brand to tier-II cities via franchise model. The brand has its presence in 32 cities pan-India.

On its expansion plans in new locations, Narresh Mehtta, COO, Hidesign, states, “We are now embarking upon expansion through the franchising model in the tier-II cities by opening stores in leading malls and select high streets. We want to reach out to our targeted customer profile so that they can see our latest collection and experience the brand in our store.”

Founded in 1978 as a two man workshop to becoming a global brand today, it has come a long way. The brand is recognised for its quality, ecological values and personalised service. By keeping its focus on a classic contemporary look, Hidesign caters to the savvy and sophisticated urban professional. The leather collection includes handbags, clutches, briefcases, laptop cases, wallets and belts.

Hidesign has grown from its artisan roots to an international brand with over 60 exclusive retail stores and a distribution network across more than 20 countries. Hidesign can be found at premium international outlets, including John Lewis and House of Fraser in the UK, Myers and David Jones in Australia, Stuttafords and Edgars in South Africa, Lifestyle and Shoppers Stop in India and Parkson, Robinsons and Isetan in Southeast Asia.

Berkshire Hathaway's QSR Chain Dairy Queen Seeks Partner For India Foray

US based ice cream and QSR chain, Dairy Queen is looking for a partner to foray into the Indian QSR market. The unit of Berkshire Hathaway’s is planning to open its burger chain in the country.

The company was said to be in talks with Reliance Retail Limited for launching its dairy business in the country, however the deal did not consummate.

Owned by Warren Buffet’s Berkshire, Dairy Queen has over 6000 restaurants in the United States, Canada and 18 other countries.

To start with, the Minneapolis based chain would be looking at opening 100 burger stores in the space dominated by McDonalds in the organized sector having a lion’s share of 75%. The unorganized sector accounts for 40% sales of the total INR 1 Bn market.

This would be its second attempt after its 2011 effort for the foray.

Dairy Queen joins other player including Burger King, Fat Burger Carl's Jr, Wendy's and Johnny Rockets that are seeking to gain a share of the country's QSR market pegged at INR 55 Bn in 2013.

Berkshire had acquired International Dairy Queen Inc. for $585 Mn in cash and stock in 1997.

The Indian QSR business has been one of the active sectors attracting a lot of PE/VC attention. Be it early stage or the ones in their growth phase.

Pepe Jeans To Come Up With Kids Wear In 2015

One of the most accepted denim wear brand, Pepe Jeans has plans to launch its kids wear range next year in India. The chic brand from London has already gained laurels in Indian franchise industry.  The brand has around 200 Exclusive Brand Outlets (EBOs) and all are franchisee run. It also has 700 Point of Sales (POS) in Multi Brand Outlets (MBO) and has presence in 125 cities in India.

Kavindra Mishra, Chief Executive Officer, Pepe Jeans says: “The DNA of our brand is Denim. 50 per cent of our business is via denim and rest 50 per cent is non-denim. Denim franchising is without doubts a wise decision that one can make. Denim never goes out of trend and is well accepted across age groups.”

Regarding the franchisees Mishra adds: “My brand’s franchisees are just like our partner. After handling so many brands and having an experience of 16 years in the industry, I can confidently say that apparel brands don’t work on RoI. It is all about finding good partners. For Pepe, we don’t look for investors instead we seek excellent partners with local expertise and one who understands retail, fashion and who can add value to the business.”