Pizza chain Sbarro to add 20 outlets in India by 2016-end

US-based pizza chain Sbarro is planning to add 20 'New York style pizza' restaurants in north and east India in two years as part of expansion plans in the country.

The chain, which has around 900 Sbarro outlets in more than 40 countries, operates in northern and eastern parts of India through its master franchise Jyoti International Foods

"We plan to open 20 new restaurants by end of 2016 and will be investing up to Rs 30 crore for this," Jyoti International Foods Pvt Ltd Chief Executive Officer Akhil Puri said.

In the first phase of expansion, the company is primarily looking at areas in Delhi and NCR, followed by outlets in Punjab and Gujarat. We currently have two restaurants, Puri added.

"We plan to follow different type of models at different locations. In some places we will have flagship restaurants and in some we will have inline stores. We are also aiming to focus on opening home delivery stores," Puri said.

Speaking about the size of outlets he added: "The flagship outlets will have a space of around 2,000 sq feet. Inline outlets in malls would be between 1000 to 1,200 sq feet while in food courts and kiosks it will be between 400 to 600 sq feet."

As part of their agreement, Jyoti International Foods Pvt Ltd (JIFPL) pays development fees and royalty on revenues to Sbarro.

"We are also offering pizza-by-slice in our restaurants and it is very popular with our customers as they can order only a piece of pizza and not a full sized one and enjoy different flavours," Puri said.

AaramShop to launch services in East Africa, South-East Asia

Delhi-based AaramShop, which allows customers to shop at local neighbourhood stores via the internet, is planning to enter East African and South-East Asian countries.

The company will find local partners and launch services in these markets through the franchise model.

Last year, AaramShop had launched its services in Pakistan by tying up with Red Bucks Grocery, a company promoted by an ex-Unilever employee in Pakistan.

“We would test the limits of our technology in new markets such as Nairobi (Kenya) in East Africa, Vietnam and Indonesia in South-East Asia and even the UAE through the franchise model. There would be no equity participation and it would be an asset-light model run through franchises,” said Vijay Singh, CEO & Managing Director, AaramShop.

“Like in India, goods are sold on MRP (maximum retail price) in Pakistan and not on recommended price like in the more developed markets. In the past year, we have got 7,000 grocers on our site in Pakistan and have a franchise partner since we cannot own equity in this country.”

In India, it currently has 5,000 grocers registered on its site.

The company is providing them with technology-based solutions to reach out to their neighbourhood consumers.

“We should have 60,000 grocers with us by next year,” Singh said

AaramShop does not charge the grocers for its services, instead its revenues come from consumer goods companies and brands that sell through its site for services such as analytics and advertising.

“We get our money from most of the big FMCG companies such as HUL (Hindustan Unilever) and P&G (Procter & Gamble) for providing services like coupons and advertising on our site,” he added.

AaramShop’s services are mainly restricted to the local neighbourhood ‘kirana’ stores and general trade outlets, not modern trade retailers.

The three-year old home-grown start-up is now planning to raise funds through private equity players.

“We have been waiting to get our business model right and generating funds on our own in the past. But now, we hope to raise ₹36 crore in our first round through PE players,” said Singh.

Apart from grocers, AaramShop has also added local pharmacy outlets on its site.

Orkin Establishes Three New International Franchises

Rollins Inc., a global services company, announced today that the company, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Orkin, has established its first franchise in India and expanded its presence in Mexico with the addition of two new franchises located in Jalisco and Aguascalientes/Guanajuato.

"We are excited to launch our first franchise in India and believe this emerging country provides a great opportunity for us as we continue to grow our Orkin brand internationally," said Tom Luczynski, Orkin group vice president of global development and franchising. "The franchise is headquartered in Bangalore, the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka with a population of over 8 million. They will also provide pest control service in three additional cities - Delhi, Chennai and Mumbai. We are also pleased to continue to expand our presence in Mexico."

Each franchise offers commercial and residential pest control and termite services.

Upon completion of their initial training at the company's award-winning training center, franchisees will receive follow-up training in their respective countries.

Atlanta-based Orkin is an industry leader in essential pest control services and protection against termite damage, rodents and insects. The company operates more than 400 locations with almost 8,000 employees. Using a proprietary, three-step approach, Orkin provides customized services to approximately 1.7 million homeowners and businesses in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe, Central America, South America, the Middle East, the Caribbean, Asia, the Mediterranean and Africa. Orkin is committed to studying pest biology and applying scientifically proven methods.  The company collaborates with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and eight major universities to conduct research and help educate consumers and businesses on pest-related health threats.

GOLDEN JUBILEE FOR GOLD’S GYM

Gold’s Gym, one of the leading names in worldwide fitness and health celebrated its golden jubilee this year. The brand has 80 gyms pan-India. It is known for its passion, heritage and experience, making it an esteemed authority in lifestyle fitness. 

Gold’s Gym is dynamic in nature and in anticipation of the need of its members offers innovative fitness techniques, upgrades its equipment periodically and incorporates unique fitness regimes like mixed martial arts, Boot Kamp, Zumba, thereby adding an element of fun to fitness. G Ramachandran, Promoter and Director, Gold’s Gym shares, “It is a great moment for us, as we enter the 51st year of operations. With 80 operational centres in India alone and 700 centres across the world, we are elated to announce 15 more outlets which are in the pipeline.”

 Adding to it, Karan Valecha, Director, Gold’s Gym India says, “Gold's Gym since its inception has been striving hard to provide the right opportunity to achieve a healthy lifestyle. And with the expansion plans, we are confident to continue spreading this idea to more and more people."

Gold’s Gym started in Venice California in 1965. Its operations started in India in 2002, when the first Gold’s Gym India branch was set up in Mumbai. It provides a comprehensive approach to the health and well being of its members helping them burn fat, tone muscle, build strength, increase flexibility and improve cardiovascular health.

Being Human to take its style to Nepal

Being Human Clothing by Mandhana Industries is planning to open eight stores which consist of five franchise stores, two exclusive brand outlets (EBOs) in India and one franchise store in Nepal by March 2015. The stores will be targeted in cities like Hyderabad, Kolhapur, Mohali, Noida, Lucknow, Pune and Jalandhar in India and Pokhra in Nepal.

As part of their development strategy, the brand has added 18 exclusive stores, including six franchise outlets in the FY 13-14 and five EBOs in FY 12-13 to their expansion portfolio. Holding 29 exclusive stores including six franchisees, Being Human Clothing keeps its promise of offering global fashion and helping the twin causes of education and healthcare through the Being Human – The Salman Khan Foundation. Being Human Clothing’s target is to increase the number of stores to 50 by end of 2015.

Manish Mandhana, Managing Director, Mandhana Industries Ltd said, “We continue to grow in new and existing markets with focus on quality, sustainability and profitability. Our aim is to grow in double in the coming years and reach out to as many people as we can. We are grateful for the response we have received”.

Kunal Mehta, VP - Marketing and Business Development, Being Human Clothing said, “Before we move into any new city or country an assessment is made of the markets potential. After a thorough research on demographic structure, purchasing power, competitor analysis, infrastructure etc the decision is made. We are very delighted with the announcement, we are hoping for the continued great response.”

AHLL widens its healthcare segment

Apollo Health and Lifestyle Limited (AHLL), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Apollo Hospitals Group, has successfully expanded its footprint in new markets such as Mumbai, Jaipur and Kanpur. AHLL has been able to achieve this by acquiring Nova Specialty Hospitals. AHLL is aiming to create a business of Rs. 500 crore in five years in the space of multi-specialty Short stay/Day surgery centres.

The acquired chain of Nova Specialty Hospitals is spread over eight cities and will add to the Apollo network 45 Modular OTs, over 350 patient beds, with an average 20,000 square feet of built-up space in each centre. Nova Specialty Hospital’s existing centres will serve as new centres under the Apollo brand name and will benefit from Apollo’s legacy of expertise, clinical excellence and empathy. Apollo will re-launch the acquired centres in the coming months with new branding, an expanded menu of services and quality systems built on Apollo’s deep expertise in the hospitals space.

Neeraj Garg, Chief Executive Officer, AHLL says, “AHLL will strengthen the service offerings in these centres by introducing Apollo’s Preventive Health Checks and also establishing Sugar Clinics.” Commenting on the strategic move Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director, AHLL adds, “This acquisition will enable AHLL to catapult its presence into a leadership position in the segment of healthcare. The format has strong potential and with the brand equity of Apollo, AHLL will grow this business significantly in the next few years.” Apollo group has always been proactive in offering healthcare to meet the changing patterns of diseases and constantly strives to make quality medical care accessible to all.

Sanjeev Kapoor’s Signature now in Abu Dhabi

Celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor has launched his first restaurant- Signature by Sanjeev Kapoor- in Abu Dhabi. This is the second Signature restaurant in the UAE (there is one in Dubai).

Kapoor is famous for his signature Indian food around the world as well as his appearances on television cooking shows. Signature, one of the many brands by Kapoor, includes all his signature dishes and personal favourites. With this launch, Kapoor said he was considering bringing more brands like The Yellow Chilli and Khazana to Abu Dhabi.

“We have already signed a master franchise to bring The Yellow Chilli to the UAE We started with one, and now we have five restaurants in Dubai. We’re opening one more in the next two months besides opening 11 outlets of The Yellow Chilli,” the known chef turned restaurateur elaborated further.

Signature by Sanjeev Kapoor is a super fine dining restaurant that serves Chef Sanjeev Kapoor's authentic Indian and signature dishes. Signature boasts of a menu that integrates the best of traditional Indian cuisine with signature dishes that showcase quintessential Indian ingredients and cooking techniques.

Fastrack opens store in Rajahmundry

Following its success in other cities in Andhra Pradesh, Fastrack has opened its first store at Danavaipet here on Wednesday. The 600-sqft store houses the latest collection of watches, bags, backpacks, helmets and belts from the brand, including a new and exciting range of helmets for guys and girls. The store was inaugurated by Narayanan Sabharatnam, Business manager, South, Titan Company Limited.

Commenting on Fastrack’s growing retail footprint, H G Raghunath, AEO, watches and accessories division, Titan Company Limited said, “The launch of this new store in Rajahmundry is exciting for Fastrack, as it is the first store in the city. We have been steadily growing since the launch of our first store in 2009 and now have 162 Fastrack stores spread over 75 cities in India.”

ASM Sonny Sandi, retail executive Khasim, project manager Mahesh and franchisee owner Sudheer were present on the occasion.

Grasshoppers bags creative mandate for Big Wong

Kurt Vonnegut wrote in Jailbird that “You can’t just eat good food. You’ve got to talk about it too. And you’ve got to talk about it to somebody who understands that kind of food.” So, when the team of Grasshoppers, who happen to be die-hard foodies, went to a restaurant which serves delectable oriental cuisine, they realised that they had come across a rare gem which deserves proper promotion. After numerous rounds of discussion with the brand owners and a realisation that both parties shared the same vision for promoting the quirky concept, Grasshoppers bagged the creative mandate for Big Wong.

Big Wong is an oriental cuisine brand which is fast gaining popularity in Delhi-NCR’s culinary circles. It currently has two outlets in Gurgaon and plans to launch around 10 more outlets in the NCR region within a year. The brand is also contemplating a pan-India expansion through a franchise model. Unlike other oriental cuisine restaurant brands, Big Wong’s concentration is not on the dine-in concept. With an emphasis on lip-smacking food rather than on a lavish ambience, the brand is focussing on the take-away and home delivery models. The 360-degree advertising campaign that is being conceptualised by Grasshoppers will be promoting these services in an interesting, out-of-the-box way.

Rajan Chanana, Partner, Big Wong, said, “Over the next five years, we aim to make Big Wong the first choice for India’s oriental food home delivery and take-away needs. We are very passionate about our brand and know that the quality of food being served at all our outlets has the potential to make Big Wong a major player in the segment within a few years. The right marketing strategy is very important for us to achieve our objective, and that is why we have partnered with Grasshoppers, as their approach was completely in sync with our vision.”

Grasshoppers will be focussing on various media platforms, including print advertisements, radio campaigns and outdoors, for reaching out to the target audience. The agency is also working on a new theme for each Big Wong outlet, as the brand wants to offer a unique experience to customers at various outlets. Moreover, Grasshoppers’ digital marketing wing, Grownups, will be promoting Big Wong on various social media platforms.

“For a bunch of food lovers who develop brand promotion strategies day in and day out, working with an F&B brand is the best possible thing. When an emerging industry player with immense potential and mind-blowing food comes your way wanting you to be as fun and unconventional as you would like to be in your creative approach, it’s like a dream come true. My team is raring to go and some very interesting ideas are being cooked up in our studio for Big Wong,” said Arjun Banerjee, Director, Grasshoppers.

Tribhovandas Bhimji Zaveri now announces TBZ Franchising Opportunity

For the first time in its 150-year old history, Tribhovandas Bhimji Zaveri Limited (“TBZ”), a well-known and trusted jewellery retailer in India, invites franchisees to be a part of its jewellery retailing business. Through the TBZ Franchising opportunity, entrepreneurs can open TBZ-The Original stores across India and retail the brand’s product which includes over 20,000 in-house designs. TBZ Ltd. intends to open franchisees in cities across India where it is not present at this point of time through its exclusive brand outlets (EBOs). At present, TBZ Ltd. has 28 EBOs stores in 22 cities across 10 States including Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Seemandhra, Telangana, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and West Bengal.

Shrikant Zaveri, Chairman and Managing Director, TBZ Ltd., said, “TBZ Franchising Opportunity is a unique opportunity for entrepreneurs to capitalize on the various growth possibilities in the Indian gems & jewellery retailing business. The prospects of the gems & jewellery sector have become quite rosy after it has recently been included in the Prime Minister’s ‘Make in India’ initiative. Recent Government policies such as the elimination of the 80:20 Rule for gold imports are also conducive to growth and progress of the sector. These positive macro-economic trends have inspired us to invite more members to the TBZ-The Original family to partner us in our expansion journey. The award-winning brand’s time tested strength, tradition, values and rich legacy will help them tap vast opportunities while we shall enhance our reach, footprint and penetration to lakhs of brand admirers in different parts of India.”

The franchising strategy has been formulated by the management to address the ever-increasing fondness and demand from a growing number of customers across geographies who aspire to own jewellery from TBZ-The Original. Every franchisee store will showcase latest designs of all new collections and will offer the same standardized shopping experience to customers as TBZ-The Original EBOs. The new franchisee showrooms will have elegant interiors and customers will be given personalized attention and customized services. Every showroom will offer a wide array of innovative and attractive jewellery designs with an added attraction of custom-made products.

TBZ Franchising Opportunity comes with various benefits such as extensive industry driven expertise, guidance at every step and widespread cost-effective marketing at low investment costs. The franchise opportunity offers direct access to target customers and access to a time tested profitable business model.

Pind Balluchi to open 20 more outlets this year

Known for its delectable Indian delicacies, Pind Balluchi is planning to open 20 more outlets this year. Currently, the brand has a total of 31 outlets and one international outlet in Singapore. The outlets are a mix of company owned and franchisee-run. Under the umbrella of J S Hospitality, the brand even looks to expand into foreign locations especially the Middle East.

JS Chadha, Chairman, Pind Balluchi informs: “Our group runs popular fine dining restaurant Park Balluchi and banquet hall Vatika Grand too. The Vatika group started its first restaurant and banquet in 1992 at Pragati Maidan. Park Balluchi, our flagship restaurant has been the winner of many national awards and now we want to grow further with new outlets across the country.”

Chadha further adds: “In the present scenario, when everybody is running after various global cuisines, we came up with an Indianised version because we believe it's permanent and not occasional like other foods.” 

Pind Balluchi’s vision is to be the benchmark by being the only Indian specialty dining destination; thereby, creating a wow experience for its patrons at all times. The cuisine at Pind Balluchi has an enormous variety of mouth-watering vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian dishes.  At each restaurant, ancient recipes that have faded from the memory of the world are rediscovered in the rare dining experience and the multifaceted identity of India is unified and preserved in its original form.

Taco bell rings its bell in Mumbai

America’s Mexican fast food restaurant chain, Taco Bell recently opened two more outlets in Mumbai. The outlets are located in Ghatkopar and Thane. Taco Bell is a part of Yum! Restaurants India which is a subsidiary of ‘Yum! Brands’. Internationally, Taco Bell has over 6000 stores in 16 countries including India. In India, Taco Bell has four outlets in Bangalore and now three in Mumbai. ‘Yum! Brands’ owns three of the leading restaurant brands worldwide – Pizza Hut, KFC and Taco Bell.

Launched in India in 2010, Taco Bell serves Mexican fast food that is both craveable and packed with flavours. With absolutely new food formats and bold flavours, Taco Bell is a delight for consumers who want to experience some ‘food adventure’.

Unnat Varma, General Manager, Taco Bell & Pizza Hut, India said: “At Taco Bell, we serve fast food that is crunchy, cheesy and extremely flavourful. Our experience both in Bangalore and Mumbai has been fantastic with consumers thoroughly enjoying new food formats like Tacos, Chalupas and Quesadillas. Though our food has familiar ingredients but they are done very differently.”

Taco Bell menu boasts of items that are hot and cold, soft and crunchy, all at the same time - a true multi-sensorial food experience. 

US fitness chain Anytime Fitness to pump up Indian muscle with 100 gyms

US-based fitness chain Anytime Fitness is using the franchisee route to grow faster in the Indian market and aims to open 100 centres in three years.

Anytime Fitness wants to be a pan-India chain. “We see a long-term opportunity in the Indian market considering the low penetration levels. We find the Indian market very similar to what the US market was 15-20 years back,” John Kersh, vice president, Anytime Fitness Gym, said.

“We have grown from one centre in the US in 2002 to 2,000 centres in 50 states of the country. With a presence in 20 countries we look forward to having 4,000 to 4,200 centres by 2018 and India is an important market for us as the incidence of lifestyle diseases is higher in the country and the awareness about health is growing,” he said.

The penetration of fitness programmes in India is as low as 0.5 per cent in India, while it is six to seven per cent in Asia and 16 to 17 per cent in the US.

According to Kersh, franchising has worked well for the brand globally as the operating expenses are low in the model.

“A centre needs around 400 members to break even and most of them break even in about six months. The centres are easily accessible being located in residential areas and are open 19 hours a day. Before opening a centre, we enroll around 150 to 200 members and this too helps the centres break-even fast,’ said Vikas Jain, managing director, Anytime Fitness India.

The company will initially handhold the franchisee in order to find the location, set up the centre, source equipment, recruit and train the staff and to promote the brand. Apart from setting up new centres, the brand is also open to converting and upgrading its existing gyms. In India a majority of the fitness centres are in the unorganised sector.

Tata Group’s Mia to spread its shine via franchising

Tata Group's jewellery division, Tanishq, will open up to 25 standalone stores of its sub-brand 'Mia' by 2016. Mia was launched by Tanishq in 2011. Almost all stores will be franchisee run .Out of the 25 stand-alone stores; eight-nine stores will be opened in this fiscal year. Mia is targeted at working women. At present, there are three Mia stores in Mumbai, Bengaluru and Pune.

Sandeep Kulhalli, Senior Vice-President (Retail and Marketing) Jewellery Division, Tanishq, said: "While, Tanshiq will continue to sell Mia brand jewellery. Growth of business for Mia will come from standalone stores. We plan to open up to 25 standalone Mia stores by 2016. After initial years of support from Tanishq, we see opportunity in growing Mia brand via standalone stores.”

The Mia collection takes its inspiration from the unexplored finesse in the cross-sections of sliced luscious fruits. At the heart of every piece of Mia jewellery is the unrivalled lustre of fruits. An expression of modern luxury, each product forms an independent piece and tells its own little story. Colour stones like Mint Amethyst, Pink Amethyst, Lemon Topaz, Beer Quartz, Smoky Quartz and more were used to add diversity to the collection. 

JW Marriott to open new hotels in India & Greater China

Marriott International’s world-class luxury hotel brand, JW Marriott Hotels & Resorts, plans to open three properties in Greater China and one hotel in India by summer 2015 bringing the brand’s Asia-Pacific portfolio to 28 hotels and resorts with 11 in China and seven in India. By 2020, the global brand portfolio is expected to encompass 105 properties worldwide, 45 of which will be located in the Asia-Pacific region.

The four latest additions will include:  JW Marriott Hotel Chongqing, China, JW Marriott Hotel Shenzhen Bao'an, China, JW Marriott Hotel Macau, China and JW Marriott Hotel Mumbai Sahar, India. 

“The addition of these four hotels only continues to strengthen JW Marriott’s already strong presence in Asia. We are embarking on an exciting time for the brand and region, and have plans to expand into new markets including Chengdu, Xian, Guangzhou and Dalian in China, Kolkata in India, Jakarta in Indonesia and Phuket in Thailand,” said Simon Cooper, President and MD, Marriott International Asia Pacific.

Mitzi Gaskins, VP and Global Brand Manager, JW Marriott Hotels and Resorts said: “Asia is one of the fastest growing and most important regions for JW Marriott.  Since opening the JW Marriott Hong Kong in 1989, we have been committed to build striking hotels that promise beautiful design and a memorable guest experience. Currently 60 percent of our portfolio is located outside the U.S. and we are proud to say that by 2020, 45 of our anticipated 105 properties will be in Asia.”

Truefitt & Hill to open 75+ stores in five years

With a legacy of more than 208 years in the men’s grooming industry worldwide, Truefitt & Hill, the world’s oldest and luxurious barbershop is all set to unwrap its new store in the upcoming corporate hub of Mumbai. The latest store will be in the premium and luxurious Palladium Mall, at Lower Parel.

Truefitt and Hill successfully introduced a new level of indulgence for the metro-sexual man that makes them one-of-a-kind brand since its first store was established in Mumbai at Khar in May’14 followed by the opening of second store in Colaba in June 14. Krishna Gupta, Managing Director, Lloyds Luxuries Ltd says: “We are thrilled with the response we have received, and are very proud to announce the opening of our third barbershop. We are also due to open a fourth store in another posh locality of Mumbai as we enter the next year.”

Further elaborating on the expansion plans, Istayak Ansari, Director, Lloyds Luxuries Ltd also states, “We will end our first year of operations with four+ open and operating stores across premium localities of Mumbai. We intend to open multiple corporate owned stores in Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai and Pune next year. We have set a target to open 10+ corporate owned stores in the above territories. Our first store outside Mumbai will open in South Delhi. We have set a target to open 75+ stores over a period of five years of which 50+ will be corporate owned and the rest will be franchisee run. We intend to start franchising from next year onwards once we have set up operations in Delhi and Bangalore."

Canon opens 124th Image Square outlet

Canon, a digital imaging brand launched its 10th Canon Image Square (CIS) in Mumbai. Canon Image Squares are the brands exclusive outlets. The brand has so far opened 123 stores across 64 cities in the country. Canon’s service reach extends to over 3200 towns with 18 Canon camera service centres and 38 printer Canon Care Centres. This store in Virar, Mumbai, takes the total tally to 18th Canon Image Square in Maharashtra.

The company plans to expand its retail business by setting up exclusive Canon Image Square outlets across the country.  With the objective to reach closer to the customer and to develop an engaging relationship with existing as well as new customers, Canon Image Square is further expanding its presence in western part of India. All existing CIS stores in Mumbai are located in different catchment areas and are easily accessed by a wide cross section of customers for a world class experience.

The store will offer customers the latest Canon cameras, lenses and photography accessories such as camera bags, tripods, chargers etc., in addition to exciting printing products and solutions. Customers are provided complete experience of the products; they can take prints of photographs, directly from their smart phones, tablets, pen drives, memory cards or CD’s. Canon also offers free training for all DSLR camera buyers through the CIS stores.