The company has 80 franchisees and would be adding another 20 very soon. This has been planned keeping in mind the success of year 2010 for travel and tourism companies. In the last few years, the company has successfully tapped markets in tier II and III cities like Meerut, Varanasi, Patiala, Siliguri and Raipur, among many others. Cox and Kings India registered 18 per cent growth in net profit in March 2010 quarter in comparison to its previous March quarter.

Cox and Kings is headed by Mr. Peter Kerkar. Cox and Kings is one of the few travel franchise businesses in India to be listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange. Cox and Kings was listed on 11th Dec. 2009, raising over Rs. 610 Crore (USD 13 Million).

Cox & Kings as a franchisor grants the franchisee / entrepreneur the licensed right to own and operate a business based on the Cox and King’s travel business concept, using its trademark. Cox and Kings would
help the franchisee start the business, providing training, assistance with, site development and ordering inventory, advertising and marketing support. To benefit from this business opportunity, a franchisee needs 250 to 1,000 sq ft of space and to make an investment of Rs 10-15 lakh.

Cox and Kings has started to franchise (A Year ago), joining other travel franchise businesses like, Travelport, Raj Travels and others.

About the Author
Dhawal Shah is an entrepreneur and franchise expert with many years of experience. He publishes FranchiseExpo.in the fastest growing franchises for sale search engine, helping buyers and sellers of franchise opportunities. FranchiseExpo.in has many resources to help you on your journey to start your own business, sell your existing business or open a franchise. FranchiseExpo.in has hundreds of franchises for sale in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka.

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Inditex opened its first Zara store in India on May 29, 2010 in the Saket region of Delhi, having announced its plan to do so in September 2007. In accordance with Indian regulations on foreign direct investment (FDI), the Spanish fast-fashion retailer partnered with the Tata Group, India, to form a joint venture in February 2009. Inditex owns 51% of this partnership while Tata’s subsidiary Trent Limited holds 49%. Due to various challenges the company faces, store expansion will remain slow, with only one further store opening planned for 2010.

Inditex has relied heavily on global expansion to maintain its sales momentum due to the heavy impact of the downturn in its domestic market. Indeed in 2009, 98% of new stores opened outside of Spain. Asian markets are a particularly strong source of growth for Inditex. It already operates stores in South Korea, China and Japan, where it opened a combined 63 stores in 2009. Similarly to China, India presents lucrative potential in the form of a rapidly growing middle class. Moreover, its clothing retail expenditure is forecast to grow at a faster rate than neighboring China with a CAGR of 6.7% in the period 2009-13, compared to China’s 5.3%, according to Verdict’s Global Retail Database.

Zara has launched its stores at Select Citywalk and DLF Promenade mall, in New Delhi and in the new extension of the Palladium commercial centre in Mumbai. Lara Dutta, launched the Zara apparel brand at Select Citywalk. It is the first store of the company in India. It has more than 14,000 square feet in one floor where the brand show its women’s, men’s and children’s collection. Zara is the second Spanish Retailer to enter India, after Mango. Although Mango expanded in India, by the franchise route.

However, the company faces several hurdles. Current regulations on FDI in India stipulate that foreign single-brand retailers must pass a 49% stake to a local partner. This involves the retailer sharing company details and data it would not normally divulge. Furthermore, franchising stores means that the retailer loses some control over how these are operated, which many companies fear may damage their brand. Consequently, single-brand retailers are often wary of entering the Indian market. For a clothing retailer like Zara, additional concerns include the relative lack of seasonal variation and the distinct, consolidated style of dress among Indian women which differs greatly to Zara’s existing ranges. We reported back in March, 2009 that Spanish Retailer Zara has finalised its India Strategy with Trent.

About the Author
Dhawal Shah is an entrepreneur and franchise expert with many years of experience. He publishes FranchiseExpo.in the fastest growing franchises for sale search engine, helping buyers and sellers of franchise opportunities. FranchiseExpo.in has many resources to help you on your journey to start your own business, sell your existing business or open a franchise. FranchiseExpo.in has hundreds of franchises for sale in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka.

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And she isn’t alone. The store’s front-end arm comprises of equally young and vibrant people with diverse backgrounds but with a common purpose of having fun at work! Take the case of 29-year-old DJ Gokul Kadam, who works as the Diesel Store Patrol or 26-year-old model or yoga instructor Komal Kriplani or even Irish engineer Joseph Flynn. The Diesel outlet is undoubtedly, a melting pot! Such is the recruitment strategy adopted by some of the premium brands like Timberland, Hard Rock Café & Diesel to reach out to the target customers of India, which spells new territory.

These brands have left no stone unturned to succeed in the new endeavour. Be it social networking sites, informal gatherings like parties, discotheques, salons or even employee referrals, they are just all over the place. The reason behind this new way of targetting the market is to get the youth on board who are all for rock music, fashion, adventure sports and are part of the target group, to promote and sell their products.

Darshan Mehta, CEO, Reliance Brands, which brought Diesel and Timberland Stores to India, clearly points out the importance of such innovative marketing techniques, “These people can easily understand the needs and aspirations of young consumers, being of the same age group and share the same tastes. Besides, identifying preferences of customers correctly is important for any brand to succeed.”

If the expansion plans of these brands are anything to go by, Diesel is kicked about opening up three new outlets, whereas, two have already started business. Hard Rock Café(HRC) is managing five stores in the country, while, Timberland Stores is all set to start four stores with a front-end employee strength of 24 people.

The total number of employees working at HRC all over India is approximately 200 to 250, of which the majority is under 30. For instance, 27-year old Vasim Sheikh an operations supervisor at Hyderabad, who has been with HRC for a total of four years, is probably the oldest! . “I was searching for a job when an ad helped me locate the opportunity at HRC. A blend of music and work seemed too alluring,” he asserts.

Another music enthusiast, Kugglen D’souza, a fan of musician DBoy,was destined to be at HRC which can be made out from his tale of realisation. He narrates, “Whenever I came here, everything looked great — the music, people, their clothes, hairstyles… I loved the way they worked. So, I walked in one day asking for a job and they happily agreed.” He joined HRC this January after completing Class 12.

He further explains that his craze for hip-hop made things easier for him during the interview. It must be noted that, the employees at HRC are trained to equip them for such roles.

“We have two extreme retail talent pools in the country — one for mass retail and another for luxury brands. For brands like ours, neither of the two fits in. We need a cool, easy-going pool of individuals to whom buyers can communicate their requirements,” says Jay Singh, co-founder and executive director, HRC India.

One of the crowdpullers is the environment at these outlets, which tends to be easy-going and informal. “It’s difficult for me to work in a tightly regulated work place. At Diesel, I get that freedom,” says Gokul Kadam, who transforms into a disc jockey on weekends with Fashion Bar and Lounge, Ashoka Hotel in the Capital.

Despite the success of the strategy, roadblocks are unavoidable. Here, they come in the form of unavailibilty of candidates in India. So how do they manage it? “Any model, when tried for the first time, poses a huge challenge but once established, yields good results. We have already started getting cold calls from many who have visited the stores asking for a job,” says Mr Mehta.

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The SEBI move is a major step towards corporatisation of Indian Franchisors.

Key Points to Note:
- Disclose Financial Results every Six Months instead of Three Months: This would reduce the cost of Audit required for a regular listed company which is every quarter
- Share Key Important Facts instead of the Full Annual Report to Shareholders. There is a huge printing cost for the annual reports, this can thus be avoided.
- Make Financial Results available on website, instead of publishing it in newspapers: Another Effort thereby helping listed SME’s reduce cost.
- Maintain a Public Share holding of atleast 75%
- SMEs that are consistently growing, will have the option to upgrade themselves to the main stock exchange, having capital between Rs. 10 Crore and Rs. 25 Crore.
- SMEs wanting to be listed, would need to have their issues 100% underwritten and the investment banker / merchant banker shall underwrite 15%. The investment banker will have the liberty to allot

Regular Stock Brokers, its sub brokers and franchisees will be able to trade on SME Exchange, without any additional registration.

About the Author
Dhawal Shah is an entrepreneur and franchise expert with many years of experience. He publishes FranchiseExpo.in the fastest growing franchises for sale search engine, helping buyers and sellers of franchise opportunities. FranchiseExpo.in has many resources to help you on your journey to start your own business, sell your existing business or open a franchise. FranchiseExpo.in has hundreds of franchises for sale in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka.

Source: http://franchiseexpo.in/franchise_news_may_2010/Getting_your_Franchise_Brand_Listed_on_SEBI_SME_Exchange1119.cfm

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- Generated a whopping Rs. 67,000 Crore (USD 14.5 Billion) for the Govt. of India, will be most likely used to bridge the fiscal deficit, strengthening the economy
- No PAN India Player
- First 3G Network Upgrade was in Japan, way back in 2001, hence India is about 9 years behind. Most countries around the world now offer 3G services and are considering 4G. Indian Telecom Operators will definitely not bid for 4G as the current 3G auctions have required them to make heavy investments. The 3G auctions has been closely tracked by almost all policy makers, business houses, entrepreneurs not just in India, but globally.

Franchise Sectors to be Positively Impacted:
Financial Services and Stock Broking Brands: Most of the larger PAN India Financial Services and Stock Broking Companies, rely heavily on strong IT systems and networks, especially in smaller cities, where internet connectivity is limited, it affects service quality. Now along with 3G, these franchisees, will open up the market for new customers, which would mean greater competition once the market gets saturated. The IT savvy customers will look for direct online trading and investing.

Retail: There will be a fall in the costs of IT services. Retail franchisees, will see a slight drop in their IT and software cost. Most of the telecom providers have a Business Solutions division, this division provides internet applications, along with third party service providers, to increase their market penetration. Telecom sector in India, is already the most competitive one, with probably the lowest rates, globally. Smaller Retail Companies will effectively compete with larger ones.

India already large franchising market with over 2000 Plus Franchisors and 120,000 Franchisees will get even more competitive, more international players will enter India, They would have entered India, even otherwise, after all not many can ignore the rising star. Its just that 3G will make it more attractive for them, thanks to the drop in costs as explained below.

Overall benefit for the Indian economy, currently only 9% of India is online and connected to the internet, 3G will usher a revolution, bringing internet browsing costs down. One of the reasons, the web penetration is low in India, is due to its high cost. In the US, you can get a T1 Line for as little as USD 20 a month for unlimited browsing, in India, for a high speed internet line, even if you paid twice as much, you would not be able to get it.

Smart Phone Sales: There will be a sharp increase in Smart Phone Sales in India. This includes, Apple’s iPhone, Google and HTCs Nexus One, Sony Ericsson and other cell phone cos.

Rise in Demand of IT services, will cause the price to fall. 3G will encourage a lot of IT companies to provide services at the phone level. This will bring the price of expensive Point of Sale systems, down and probably make them redundant. 3G will encourage people to go for iPad, which is a lot more application rich than the current non modifiable Point of Sale systems.

For web entrepreneurs like us that run franchise portals in India, this would mean higher number of users, more traffic and definitely more revenue, so cheers to that. Lets wait and enjoy instead of simply watching and explore the new business and franchise opportunities that unfold for entrepreneurs.

About the Author
Dhawal Shah is an entrepreneur and franchise expert with many years of experience. He publishes FranchiseExpo.in, You can FranchiseExpo.in has become the fastest growing franchises for sale search engine, helping buyers and sellers of franchise opportunities. FranchiseExpo.in has many resources to help you on your journey to start your own business, sell your existing business or open a franchise. FranchiseExpo.in has hundreds of franchises for sale in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka.

Source: http://franchiseexpo.in/franchise_news_may_2010/How_3G_will_change_Indian_Franchising1118.cfm

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This is definitely a much better idea, than establishing manufacturing plans globally. Let us understand the Coke and Pepsi Beverage Plants. Coke and Pepsi only produce syrup concentrate which is then sold to various bottlers throughout the world who hold a Coca-Cola franchise rights with their respective territories. Coca-Cola and Pepsi bottling franchises, who hold contracts with the company, produce finished product in cans and bottles from the concentrate. Their bottling partners are local companies so they are rooted in their communities, thinking and acting locally. They are employers, purchasers of local goods and services, good neighbors, and, of course, producers of the world’s most popular beverages.

On a similar note, other Indian companies that have similar plans in the beverage franchise business is Eureka Forbes, Eureka Forbes is looking for smart entrepreneurs that are interested in the bottled water retailing business. The Eureka Forbes Franchisee would establish a retail distribution network, apartfrom manufacturing bottled water. Those retail stores would cater to the Home and Office Delivery customers as well.

United Spirits is looking to franchise not just in Middle East, but also in Singapore and other major markets. It will aim at connecting with entrepreneurs looking at business opportunities in the spirits / beverages segment. We believe United Spirits if they aggressively franchise their bottling franchises worldwide, they could soon take the #1 position Worldwide in the spirit’s business. We wish them luck. Cheers to Indian Franchising.

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Mumbai, India 2nd March 2010: With an aim to encourage and promote best practices in franchising in India, Maverick Franchise Ventures (MFV India) announced the launch of the first-of-its kind ‘India Franchise Rankings 2010′- awards to honour the achievements and the entrepreneurial spirit of Indian franchisors. India Franchise Rankings 2010 is an annual exercise aimed at encouraging franchise companies.

Despite there being several initiatives to award franchise brands, none of them have the a clear methodology on the basis of which they are ranked. The current awards gauge franchise recruitment progress and is where number and expansion driven, leaving behind a lot of more important parameters, no. of franchisee locations closed, franchisee profitability and success ratios.

The franchisee – entrepreneur of today complements the core Indian values of respect, freedom and hard work. Franchising shapes the lives of 85,000 Plus Franchisees across India, these franchisee – entrepreneurs transform and mould the franchise system and spreads the same entrepreneurial idea, within their family.
Considering the undividable association of celebration and entrepreneurship, MFV India decided to salute these ‘solid gold franchisors’ and acknowledge their contribution to the Indian Economy.

Speaking on this occasion, Dhawal Shah, Founder of MFV India said, that, ‘We are pleased to launch the inaugural India Franchise Rankings 2010. Today’s franchisees and businessmen are always on the lookout for franchise and business opportunities, but are not aware of various companies. With our propreitory index, we have developed a methodology for evaluating and assessing India’s leading franchise companies’.

Silvio Zannoni, one of the investors in Maverick Franchise Ventures, on this occasion said that, ‘Our Partnership with Way2Franchise.com has been quite successful in helping us launch unique-first initiatives like the India Franchise Rankings, Similar to our online franchise portal in Italy, we will definitely see us increase our market share in India as well.

Since, November 2009, the MFV India Team has been constantly examining franchisors and confidentially surveying franchisees. Participation in the franchisee’s surveys is anonymous; franchisees receive codes for confidentiality. Some of them, that prefer to speak over the telephone are not asked for their identity or location. Here is how we compile this mega-list–the first, best and most comprehensive franchise ranking in India. The process began in November 2009, when we asked franchisors to participate in this year’s survey. Each submission was vetted before being entered for data analysis, with 164 companies making the first cut. Of those, the top 100 companies made the Franchise 100 ranking, based on franchisee satisfaction and profitability.

Geetanjali Mehlwal, a legal expert and an experienced franchise veteran said that, ‘India Franchise Rankings is a much needed initiative that will benefit everyone in the franchise industry in India as well as provide foreign franchisors with a fair idea about the performance of the Indian franchise industry’

All companies, regardless of size, are judged by the same criteria: objective, quantifiable measures of a franchise operation. The most important factors include financial strength and stability, growth rate and size of the system. We also consider the number of years a company has been in business and the length of time it’s been franchising, start-up costs, percentage of terminations, and whether the company provides financing.

All the factors are plugged into our proprietary methodology, with each eligible company receiving a cumulative score. The 100 franchises with the highest cumulative scores become the India Franchise 100. Remember that the India Franchise 100 is not intended to endorse, advertise or recommend any particular franchise. It is solely a research tool you can use to compare franchise operations. MFV India stresses that you should always conduct your own independent investigation before investing money in a franchise.

The winners of the inaugural annual India Franchise Rankings 2010 Competition honoring excellence in franchising are:

1 Raymonds
2 Angel
3 Subway
4 Eurokids
5 NIIT
6 Helen O Grady
7 Siyarams
8 Aptech Computer Education
9 Coffee Day Xpress
10 Reliance Money
11 Koutons
12 Career Launcher
13 TIME
14 Motilal Oswal
15 Institute of Management Studies
16 Spykar Jeans
17 Max Mind Abacus
18 Kwality Walls
19 Bachpan Play School
20 Levis
21 ICICI Securities
22 Animaster
23 N Power
24 The Apollo Clinic
25 VETA
26 Jawed Habib Hair Xpreso
27 Podar Happy Kids
28 Golds Gym
29 Cartridge World
30 Easy Bill
31 Sharekhan
32 Suvidha
33 Academy Of Broadcasting
34 Flair English
35 India Infoline
36 Karrox
37 Snap Fitness
38 Srinathjis
39 Way2Wealth
40 Abacus Mental Mathematics Academy
41 US Dollar Store
42 Texas Chicken
43 US Pizza
44 K Lounge
45 Sykes and Ray Equities
46 Fashion and I
47 Sarva Jal
48 The Loot Store
49 VLCC
50 Institute of Computer Accountants
51 English Express
52 Sykes and Ray Equities
53 Remax
54 Go Chaatz
55 iPlayiLearn
56 LJ Hooker
57 Avalon
58 Ace Tours and Travels
59 Clipso beauty School
60 Jumbo King Foods
61 Desk to Desk Couriers (DTDC)
62 Belmonte Apparel (S. Kumars)
63 Animation Traning School (ANTS)
64 Oxford Book Store
65 Zapak Gameplex
66 Time Zone India
67 Frameboxx
68 Castol Bike Zone
69 Tanclean
70 SVK Institute of Management
71 Pizza Corner
72 Re-Feel
73 Jetking Infotrain
74 Ideal Play Abacus (IPA)
75 Comfort Securities
76 Sagar Ratna
77 Sykes and Ray Equities
78 Mahindra First Choice
79 Zee Institute of Creative Arts
80 Russell’s Institute of English
81 Geetanjali Group
82 Dandy Collection
83 Adidas
84 Kaati Zone
85 Gini and Jony
86 Kidzee
87 REBI
88 Baskin Robbins
89 Java Green
90 Slice of Italy
91 ABC Montessori
92 Western Union Money Transfer
93 Multi Utility Solutions
94 Appin Knowledge Solutions
95 Talwalkar’s Gyms
96 Ventura Securities
97 Reebok
98 Sharkey’s Cuts for Kids
99 Tropical Sno
100 Vichare Couriers

Source: Franchiseexpo.in

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