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.