Subway opens its 600th outlet in India

Sandwich chain Subway opened its 600th outlet in India at Bharuch, Gujarat, pointing to a growing preference for restaurants serving fresh and customizable on-the-go menu, according to a release.

Subway, which calls itself the world's largest sandwich restaurant chain, operates over 44,000 restaurants in 112 countries.

"Credit goes to all our franchisees who play a major role as the brand's growth drivers in the country. We aim to accelerate our development plans by expanding in both metro and non-metro locations," Ranjit Talwar, Country Head, Subway Systems India, was quoted as saying.

Subway, a family-owned enterprise set up 50 years ago, operates on a franchise model, and there are no company-owned outlets.

Franchisees are provided with "customised operational manuals, training programme, and backend support, including for marketing, advertising and business mentorship by the brand", the release said.

The National Restaurant Association of India's latest "Food Services" report expects the restaurant industry in India to contribute about 2.1 per cent to the GDP by 2021.

Subway, which opened its first outlet in India in 2001, currently has a presence in 70 Indian cities.

(This story has not been edited by our staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Wai Wai Noodles to Invest Rs 250 Crore in India

Nepal's CG Foods, makers of the popular Wai Wai noodles, plans to invest Rs 250 crore in India to open quick service restaurants (QSRs) in next 5 years.

CG Corp Global, which plans to open 1,500 noodle bars across the world under the brand 'Wai Wai City’.

However, the company did not specify the number of outlets it will open in the country.

"With this new format, we offer...whole new world of taste and flavours. For us this is the beginning of an exciting journey," CG Corp Global Executive Director Varun Chaudhary said.

Wai Wai City will be spread across various formats – food courts, self-standing kiosks, standalone outlets, highway format etc, he added.

CG Foods announced a foray into the European market by opening its first manufacturing plant in Serbia.

Positioned strategically at Ruma in Serbia in Central Europe, the Wai Wai plant will help the company cater to the neighbouring countries. With this plant, CG Foods' total units producing Wai Wai noodles has gone up to 15, of which 8 are based in India.

Asics eyes local production for FDI

Japanese sportswear brand Asics is planning local sourcing in India so that it can apply for FDI and benefit from lower duties. Considering its competitors like Nike and Puma have already got FDI clearance to start their own stores, Asics has to wait till it completes the 30 per cent local sourcing norm before it can get away from the franchise model.

Unlike its peers who are looking at manufacturing ‘Make in India’ products, Asics is still an imported footwear brand although it has started some amount of local production for apparel recently.

Speaking to BusinessLine, Rajat Khurana, Director, Asics India, said: “While we are an imported brand, we should soon start with 10-15 per cent of local footwear production in the next two to three years. Applying for FDI requires us to have 30 per cent local sourcing and some of our competitors like Nike have already met these norms to start their own stores in the country.’’ With FDI in single brand retail, foreign companies can own and operate their stores instead of having a local franchise operation and is also expected to help in lower prices in the country.

Currently, Asics imports its footwear primarily from China and Indonesia, much like other international brands including Clarks and Skechers, despite having Indian partners for their ventures.

“When we entered India, we had signed a general distribution agreement with Reliance Retail which lasted for four years. We have our subsidiary since 2015 and expect sales to triple by 2017 as the market is growing and we expect to get profitable with economies of scale,’’ added Khurana.

In India, Asics is now positioning itself from a sportswear to a lifestyle brand. “India is changing and it is the lifestyle segment which is growing at nearly 20 per cent,’’ added Khurana. Currently, Asics has 14 monobrand stores and expects to add another 12 stores this year. It has also been spending on events like the Mumbai Marathon by becoming the official sponsors for three years to build its brand in the country.

Asics, which has its headquarters in Kobe in Japan, has its biggest markets in the US and Europe and considers Japan as its second largest market.

Hamleys plans to double its stores in India

Hamleys is already the largest toy retailer in India with 26 stores across 14 cities since its entry six years ago. It now intends doubling its number of stores within the next two years.

Reliance Brands, the master franchise for Hamleys India, is already on the job of launching six new stores this fiscal in tier 2 cities like Bhopal, Coimbatore and Guwahati under different formats including its smaller express stores.

The toy industry may lack buoyancy but India has emerged as the third largest market for Hamleys after UK and West Asia.

India is already the largest market in terms of number of stores and is growing much faster at 33 per cent for Hamleys than countries in Western Europe where growth is in single digits today. While we have 88 stores across 23 countries, India is our third largest market after the UK and GCC countries,’’ said Gudjon Reynisson, Chief Executive, Hamleys.

In India, Hamleys continues to import the bulk of its toys from China for its private label and sources the rest from distributors like Funskool, and has also included popular Indian characters like Chota Bheem at its stores.

Darshan Mehta, CEO, Reliance Brands, said, “ India is possibly the fastest growing market for toy retail. Now we have six new stores under construction mostly in the tier 2 cities and should reach a total count at 32 stores this fiscal. Consumers are going to malls where we are present and we want our stores to be there in even smaller markets like Ludhiana. ’’

FirstCry expands its presence acquires BabyOye

One of the largest Online baby products retailer FirstCry has agreed to acquire Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd’s baby-care business BabyOye in a cash-and-stock deal that will help it consolidate its presence in the growing segment through an omni-channel strategy.

The deal is worth Rs 362.1 crore ($54.3 million). The move will help FirstCry expand its offline presence. BabyOye has about 120 physical stores, including some franchisee outlets, while FirstCry has almost 180 stores & Both companies have e-commerce.  As per the deal, Mahindra will operate all company-owned stores under a master franchise agreement with FirstCry, the companies said.

FirstCry was founded by serial entrepreneur Supam Maheshwari, in a statement  Mr.Maheshwari said the deal with the Mahindra Group will bring in synergies that will help FirstCry expand and achieve its profitability goal much faster.

Mahindra Group had acquired BabyOye in February last year. Later that year, Mahindra renamed its offline babycare store chain ‘Mom n Me’ as ‘BabyOye by Mahindra.’ This was the first M&A deal by an Indian business group in the e-commerce segment, which had until then seen mergers mainly among companies backed by common venture capital firms.

 FirstCry has emerged as a strong player in the segment over the years.  FirstCry has branded franchisee stores across 85 cities, besides its e-commerce site. In addition, it also has distribution partnerships with over 6,000 hospitals across the country. It runs its private label under the BabyHug brand.

In an omni-channel model, companies can create a large online brand supported by a large offline business and then you can integrate, leverage your inventory, own product brand or private label and leverage your customer behavior and loyalty to help build a more pervasive retail brand.”

US based EagleRider set to launch in India

US-based motorcycling experience provider EagleRider Inc  announced opening of its first franchise outlet in India here at the Capital. 

The company said domestic and international travellers will now be able to hire luxury motorcycles on self-drive and pre-determined guided tours or tailor-made adventure holidays within India and neighbouring countries like Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar.

"We all know that riding motorcycles is fun. But riding a motorcycle as you explore a legendary country like India with so much history in every mile and so many interesting things to see and do is an entirely unique and unforgettable experience," EagleRider Founder and CEO Chris McIntyre said in a company statement. 

"EagleRider is immensely proud to finally be able to make that experience a possibility for fellow riders across the World," he added. 

The store offers motorcycles, which includes a fleet of Harley Davidson, Triumph and Royal Enfield. The premium motorcycles can be rented on daily or longer durations. 

Depending on the model and type, the rentals for the motorcycle can range from Rs 2,900 a day for Royal Enfield Himalayan, Rs 5,500 per day for a Harley-Davidson Iron883 or Triumph Bonneville to Rs 12,500 a day Harley-Davidson RoadKing, excluding petrol expenses. 

Apart from tours, guided or for self-drive, EagleRider India also provides a host of services like shuttle services, guides and hotel stays, as part of the packages, the company said.

The Great Khali eyes gym chain

The professional wrestler Dalip Singh Rana, better known by his ring name The Great Khali, to flex his muscles at the gym, is planning to set up 50 gyms in India in a year and then look abroad. The USP being a combination of gym with fitness and wrestling.

‘’The theme of the gyms would look like a wrestling ring. As members enter the gym, Khali will greet them with an automated voice message. There will be a Khali gallery, which will display and sell merchandise like clothes and boots,’’ says Ankur Makan, Khali’s man handling the project.

To be launched as the The Great Khali Gym & Fitness Club, the large format gyms spread across 4,500-5,000 sq ft will come with unique features like a lounge, kids area, the Khali gallery, marathon track and usual ones like two spas, two Jacuzzis, sweat room, which can be used by 40-45 people at any given time. Users will have to shell out Rs 27,000-28,000 a year, which is similar to what premium gyms charge in Indian metros. 

Khali’s franchisees will have to invest Rs 3.5 crore in gym infrastructure, including approximately Rs 35 lakh sign-up fees to be paid to Khali. A franchisee will also incur variable costs of Rs 50-60 lakh a year, but can hope to make revenues of Rs 3.5 crore a year. ‘’Assuming a gym can get 700 members, it can make Rs 2 crore per annum purely from gym revenues. Plus, it could hope to make Rs 1.5 crore in revenues from the lounge, the Khali gallery, self-defence training for kids, zumba, aerobics, power yoga,’’ says Makan.

The lounge will sell food supplements like protein bars that sell for Rs 2,000/kg while the gallery will sell merchandise for wrestling. These are likely to be the two key non-gym revenues, says Makan. Every gym will be personally inaugurated by Khali. ‘’He doesn’t want to compromise on the service parameters like hygiene, personal trainers, and wants to ensure that it doesn’t spoil his name,’’ says Makan. 

The first gym will come up in Jaipur by January, and the second one in Delhi. Gyms in Tier-II or Tier-III cities will be smaller— these will have fewer machines, and one spa and one Jacuzzi. Khali is doing this project under Continental Wrestling Entertainment (CWE), his company which has set up a wrestling academy in Jalandhar in Punjab that has over 350 students. After India, Khali wants to open gyms in markets like the US, Canada and Dubai, where he enjoys good following.