Fruit Day seeks franchise partners

A homegrown brand of edible arrangements, Fruit Day is planning pan India roll out via franchise route. The brand is currently running only one store in Bangalore and mulls to expand to all major cities preferring malls and business hubs for its location.

According to Roopa Sridhar, Founder, Fruit Day:  “We have a production facility and deliver the customer to their home and offices. Shortly, we are opening up a store in the central region of Bangalore while are in the process to franchise in other parts of the country”.

A total investment of Rs 8 lakh along with an area of 200 sq. ft is required by the franchise partners to open up a franchise outlet of the brand.

Lipsy inks franchise pact with BMI to enter India

Trendy young British fashion brand Lipsy on Tuesday announced that it has entered into an exclusive franchise agreement with Brand Marketing India (BMI) to market and distribute its products in India. Lipsy, which was acquired by Next Plc in 2008, is one of the UK’s popular fashion brands. 

Known for its trend clothing and massive celebrity following, Lipsy is already selling internationally through recently opened franchise stores in the Middle East and CIS regions. 

Emma Dobson, head of International Lipsy, said: “This is a key milestone in our international expansion and underscores the international appeal of our brand. We are delighted to be working with the team at BMI and look forward to introducing Lipsy to their customers.” 

BMI, the company responsible for the successful launch and development of the Calvin Klein Jeans, Calvin Klein Underwear and French Connection businesses in India, intends to open over 50 Lipsy stores over the next five years, thereby, effectively positioning the business to capitalize on the significant growth potential of the Indian market. 

Commenting on the collaboration, Vijay Murjani, managing director of BMI, said, "The combination of glamorous fashion, affordability and a great retail experience has ensured the brand has been an overwhelming success with both celebrities and young trendsetters across the UK.” 

"We are confident that the young Indian consumers will embrace the brand in the same way." 

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.

Marketing Strategy In Franchise Business

The development of franchise business that recently began to mushroom, making competition increasingly stringent franchise business. Every day came the new franchisor that does not directly increase the number of franchisees in the market, so competition among businesses today increasingly high. Without a workable marketing strategy, a brand franchise could die in the midst of a brand new competition which is now beginning to emerge.

Although currently many franchisors that offer investment partnerships with the support of several marketing tools, such as X-banner, Both interesting, attractive product packaging, brochures, etc., but in fact the partners are still many difficulties to face intense competition in local markets are pretty solid. Therefore, to assist the franchisee to join a particular partnership, we inform some of the following marketing strategies that can be done to support the development of your franchise product marketed.

1. Recognize the behavior of your potential customers and markets.
One of the keys to success in marketing a product that is to recognize the behavior of each consumer and the potential market that you can use. That way you can determine how the most appropriate promotional strategies to market products that you follow the franchise.

2. Ensuring Brand and unique look of your business
Value of the franchise business owned more than non-franchise business opportunity lies just on the strength of brand and appearance Both (establishments) are interesting. So try to keep the appearance of products as well as offering a brand that is truly unique and exciting, so that consumers do not hesitate to drop by at your outlet.

3. Use tools such as mass media campaigns that are around you.
Call it advertising on radio, television, business magazines, tabloids, newspapers, and many more electronic media and other print media that you can use to promote the franchise business is run.

4. Position yourself as a solution for your consumer problems.
By becoming an expert and offer products and services needed by the consumer, then your chances to take care consumers more wide open. So that customer loyalty will be built to strengthen the brand has to offer.

5. Maintain existing customer loyalty.
Your old customers become one of the assets that need to be maintained properly. Therefore, try to hold promotional activities on a regular basis, so that the loyalty of existing consumers is increasing.

6. Take advantage of online media for promotion
To this day not many franchise businesses are realizing the importance of online marketing, but every day the number of Internet users has increased quite sharply. Sure you can use this as a potential market opportunities. For example just by creating a website or joining an existing business forum on the internet.

7. Direct approach to the consumer.
This strategy can do by interacting directly to consumers, and asked consumers to write testimonials (comments or feedback) after they use the product or service offered by your franchise. Because the testimony of the consumer to be part of a promotional tool that can support the marketing word of mouth (from mouth to mouth).

Hopefully the information about the marketing strategy in business franchise can be useful to readers and help the franchisee in marketing their products. There is always a way if we are always willing to try

Spanish brand Adolfo Dominguez enters India

Feb 18, 2011

Spanish fashion brand Adolfo Dominguez will set up 25 exclusive stores in India over the next five years, three of which will open this year. The mid-market to premium brand has tied up with Wadhawan Lifestyle Retail Group, which will spend up to Rs 50 crore to expand the brand's retail presence. The brand launched its first store in Delhi on Thursday, spread over 35,000 sq ft. The second one is likely to open in Gurgaon, while the third store will open in Mumbai.

"Next on the agenda will be spreading across tier I and II cities depending on the initial feedback. We are looking at expanding at the rate of two to three stores every year," said business head international brands, Wadhawan Lifestyle, Abhinav Zutshi.

The 174.32-million Adolfo Dominguez is positioning itself as an affordable luxury brand in India where the merchandise starts from a price point of Rs 2,500 for a T-shirt and goes upto Rs 45,000 for exclusive gowns. It will initially retail its menswear line, women's wear and youth collection. Later, it plans to introduce its home furnishing line, plus-size fashion line, kids' wear and pet's wear collections.

Zutshi said the brand would introduce its new collections in India at the same time as they are unveiled globally. "The offerings by most international brands in India are a season or two behind their global launch. For today's fashion conscious globetrotters, this is a deterrent as they don't want to shell out money on outdated fashion," he added.

"Adolfo worldwide makes very limited editions of each design. We would like to offer exclusivity to Indian audiences as well," said Tiziana Dominguez, creative director of Adolfo Dominguez, and daughter of founder-designer Adolfo Dominguez.

The brand expects to break even within this year itself in India. "Many of our stores break even within nine months and we are expecting the same here," said Tiziana. At present 75 per cent of Adolfo's global turnover comes from Spain while 25 per cent comes from outside. The company targets 50 per cent of its sale to come from outside Spain by 2015 and 80 per cent in 2020.