Lite Bite Foods to open Asia7 & Punjab Grill in Mumbai

New Delhi-based food court and restaurant chain, Lite Bite Foods (LBF) will open two of its fine dine restaurants, Asia7 and Punjab Grill at Palladium Mall in Lower Parel, Mumbai by the end of December this year. These restaurants will have 80 to 100 covers with an Average Per Cover (APC) between Rs 550 and Rs 600.

Asia7 will be a pan Asian restaurant and Punjab Grill will be a designer Indian cuisine restaurant. LBF has its outlets in Chandigarh, Gurgaon, Jaipur, Mumbai and Chennai and there are plans to foray into Pune, Bengaluru and Hyderabad.

Tejpavan Singh Gandhok, co-promoter & CEO, LBF said, “F&B services in India are unorganised. We aim to establish the company as a professional brand with customised and specialised F&B services across the country in order to meet the rapidly growing needs of organised real estate developments. We are open to establish our outlets in star category hotels.”

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bigshoebazaar.com Franchise ties up with Red Tape; aims Rs 100 cr sales

Online marketplace and retail chain bigshoebazaar.Com, as part of its plan to emerge as a Rs 100 crore firm in three years, has tied up with Red Tape to market and promote sales of the footwear maker's entire range of products. The company, promoted by the former Vishal Retail CEO (Corporate Affairs) Manmohan Agarwal, will handle the leading footwear brand's entire online shopping transaction process, delivery and customer service for the next five years. 

"This agreement will help us increase our presence among the 8.8 crore internet users in the country. Along with some other agreements we had signed over past few months, this will help us in achieving our target of becoming a Rs 100 crore firm by 2012," Agarwal told PTI. He said the firm is in talks with some other footwear makers for tie-ups but refused to give details. "Online shopping has penetrated big time in the West and we see a potential for replicating it in India," Agarwal said. Bigshoebazaar.Com started in 2007 as an online portal for business-to-customer footwear retailing and with over 70 clients, including Woodland, Lee Cooper, Reebok and Puma. It has a portfolio of 10,000 designs at a given time. 

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Hungry for more, Subway Franchise embarks on expansion spree




The Subway Franchise serving, American made-to-order sandwiches and salads chain, plans to double its outlet count in Kolkata by next year-end to cater to



the city's growing appetite for health food. "In the next 12-14 months, we are targeting a 100% rise in store-count from seven at present to at least 15 by December 2010," Subway development partner for eastern India Rishi Bajoria says.



The chain which opened its first store in Kolkata at Woodburn Park in August 2005, has since grown steadily, adding a store each year with outlets at Salt Lake Sector V, New Alipore, Rashbehari connector and Mani Square. In the past three months though, there's been a spurt in activity with two stores being launched at South City and Bangur Avenue. In a few days, another will open at Forum, its eighth outlet in the city.



"The enthusiasm with which customers in Kolkata have embraced the footlongs and sandwiches is indicative of a shift to more healthy diet. Over the next year, we plan to fill the pockets that are currently not covered. These include Alipore, Park Street, Ganesh Chandra Avenue/Esplanade, New Market/Lindsay Street, Kankurgachi, Rashbehari/Lake Market and Ballygunge Phari/Syed Amir Ali Avenue," Bajoria said, adding that a second outlet was also on the cards at the Salt Lake IT hub since the outlet there had registered a 250% hike in sales since it opened three years ago.



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Cartridge World Ranked 27 of the Top 100 Global Franchises
Franchise Direct has ranked the world's best franchises for 2009. Cartridge World has been ranked 27th amongst “Top 100 Global Franchises”.

Franchise Direct has ranked the world's best franchises for 2009. Cartridge World has been ranked 27th amongst “Top 100 Global Franchises”. This definitive and exclusive list details the franchises which are performing best on an international level. The ranking is based on objective and measurable criteria, including system size based on numbers of units, sales revenue for the system, stability and growth of the system, number of years in operation and market expansion.

With a company centre in almost every country, Cartridge World has done exceptionally well in an area that not many thought was sustainable and profitable. Today, the company has a strong presence of over 2000 franchised Cartridge World retail stores worldwide. This feat also underlines the strong belief and strategies that have seen the company grow from one store to 85 operational stores in India. With environmentally friendly recharging, Cartridge World not only offers quality recharges but has also attracted more and more clients looking for viable printing solutions. Cartridges recharged at Cartridge World help save up to 60%* of the cost for clients.

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ITC's Wills Lifestyle turns profitable, to franchise in Tier 2 and 3 Towns

Profitable retailing: A Wills Lifestyle store on Camac Street in Kolkata. All Wills Lifestyle stores across 30 cities are now recovering costs, according to Atul Chand, chief executive of ITC’s lifestyle retailing division.

Way2Franchise First and Exclusive: ITCs lifestyle retailing business has turned profitable. Over the past year, ITC has managed to reduce rents by as much as 30% and all Wills Lifestyle stores in 30 cities are now recovering costs, according to Atul Chand, chief executive of ITC’s lifestyle retailing division. Apart from this, about one-fifth of the lifestyle retailing division’s revenues come from contract manufacturing of garments and accessories for designer brands such as Calvin Klein, Polo Ralph Lauren, Trussardi and MaxMara. “Exports are a high-margin business,” Chand added.

ITC currently has some 50 Wills Lifestyle stores, which sell ready-made apparel. Over the next six months, it is going to launch at least two stores a month, said Chand. The company is now looking to enter cities with smaller populations, and for the first time, is going to get into local franchise arrangements.

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Mixed response from Financial Services Franchisees and Brokers towards extended timings 

SEBI’s permission to the stock exchanges to extend their trading hours fetched mixed reactions from the trading community, but the dominant response was unwelcoming. The markets watchdog has allowed the exchanges to set their timings from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., from 9.55 a.m. to 3.30 p.m. Though this would align the Indian markets with those in Asia and Europe, an increase in market timings would mean added stress, said dealers, franchisees, sub-brokers, brokers and analysts.

Delayed data

A market closure of 3.30 p.m. itself sees work end only at 9 p.m. for most brokers and financial services franchisees. “The final data comes by 4 p.m., the files have to be updated and sent to the exchanges by 7 p.m., and wait for responses up to 9 p.m.,” said a sub-broker. “Our work will now completely end only by 11 p.m.”

A director at a broking firm noted that extended timing would see expenses also increase. “Keeping the office open for longer means higher expenses while volumes may not increase proportionately. Trading happens mostly in the first and last hour of trade. The rest of the time there is not much trade happening. The new timings will put more strain on our dealers. Think about our research team. They come in at 8.30 now with the new timing they will have to come by 7.30. And one can only imagine when they will leave,” he said.

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Lite Bite Foods eyes 45 stores in three years

Lite Bite Foods, a quick service food chain, has earmarked Rs 100 crore to open around 45 stores in the next three years across the country. Promoted by Dabur vice-chairman Amit Burman, Lite Bite Foods currently has 40 stores and plans to add 10 outlets by this fiscal-end. “We have invested about Rs 40 crore and we will be investing around Rs 100 crore in the next 3 years,” said Amit Burman, chairman, Lite Bite Foods. 

Burman said the company has doubled the number of outlets in 2008, while its sales have increased three-fold last year. “Growth has been tremendous as we have doubled the amount of outlets and our sales turnover has grown by 3 times in the last year. The growth in the industry is around 25 per cent,” said Burman. 

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V Mart Retail to franchise affordable fashionwear brand, V Gals

V Mart Retail Ltd, one of India’s growing value retailers, has now registered its presence in Arrah in Bihar and Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh. The size of its Arrah store is 10,000 square feet, where as that of its Ujjain is of more than 8,000 square ft. V Mart, at both the stores, is offering kirana products, ladies wear, kids wear, toys and games, men’s wear, footwear & luggage section, home furnishing, crockery and plastics goods etc to their customers.

V Mart retail is also all set to roll out its franchise format women centric “V Gals” stores in northern and western India. The V Gals stores will stock affordable designer clothing for women and accessories. The company has its own private labels, Charcoal, Cruxx, J-White, Groovy Kids manufactured in-house and quasi private labels sourced from other manufacturers. 

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Indian restaurateur describes her entrepreneurial experience

Hit by the recession, an India restaurateur revamps from scratch.

When I moved to New York City from Calcutta, I wasn't planning a catering career. I had come to earn a master's degree in lighting design from Parsons the New School for Design. But as a foodie, I was dismayed by the city's Indian eateries: The good ones were pricey, while the more affordable restaurants served two-day-old curries.

It didn't take a genius to spot a market opportunity for good, low-priced Indian food. I focused on Indian-style sandwiches, which few restaurants were offering. After graduating, I took night classes in restaurant management. In late 2003 I partnered with a former classmate, Rupila Sethi, to open the Indian Bread Co., a cafe in Manhattan's Greenwich Village. We sold flat breads stuffed with fillings or rolled like wraps -- an adaptation of traditional Indian street food.

Business was good from day one, and we soon began to provide catering services. In fact, we catered the Republican National Convention in 2004. But by the end of that year, Rupila wanted to move on to other projects, so I bought her out. Sales rose for the next several years, and I even started negotiations to franchise the cafe concept.

Then the recession hit. Business slowed, and the franchising deal fell through. In February 2009 cafe sales fell 25% to $9,689, from $12,873 a year before. But even though I was losing money, I refused to give up on a proven concept.

Seeking investors, I pitched my cafe to contacts in the restaurant industry. I took on two equal partners: Surbhi Sahni, a pastry chef at Devi, a top Indian eatery in New York City; and Rajiv Tanwar, a lawyer and restaurateur. Surbhi contributed sweat equity, helping me revamp the kitchen and change the menus. Rajiv invested $75,000, which we used to fund improvements.

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Jury Nails Francorp Founder on All Counts, Including Fraud

Don Boroian, president of Francorp, testifies in January about buying franchises from new franchisor creation Palm Tree Computers. source/YouTube

MIAMI – On Friday, October 9, just prior to midnight, a Miami jury reached a verdict in favor of five South Beach master franchisees on all nine counts against Donald Boroian and his Francorp  development firm. The claims included fraud, conspiracy, unfair and deceptive practices, negligent misrepresentation, and violations of state laws.  Robert Einhorn, Zarco Einhorn Salkowski & Brito, representing the franchisees said it was a total victory. “We are gratified that the jury held Donald Boroian and Francorp responsible for their deceptive and fraudulent business practices in this case.”

But the verdict could extend beyond those findings. Einhorn asserts that the jury’s decision sends a clear message to  Francorp and other franchise “packaging houses” that they will be held accountable for the preparation of false and misleading franchise documents for their clients, and that these franchising consultants cannot engage in the unauthorized practice of law. Although the unauthorized practice of law issue wasn’t a separate claim in the case, he said it was evidence that supported the negligence and the unfair and deceptive trade practices act claims.  He added, “So, there’s no official finding on it but it could be assumed that the jury concluded that by entering its verdict on everything claimed.”

In summarizing the litigation, Einhorn previously stated, "Don Boroian and his company completely stepped out of the role of being a franchise consultant to become his client's partner, her joint venturer and her legal counsel. They actively participated in a scheme to defraud my clients." South Beach’s principal, Carol (Meyers) Brothers, brought the concept to Francorp to develop its franchising program. Boroian first met Brothers in 1978, when she brought her first concept, Pop-In-Maid Service, to him, a company she later took into bankruptcy. 

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DIL signs JV with Delhi International Airport (GMR Group) to roll out food retail chain

Devyani International Ltd (DIL), the Indian master franchisee of global food retail chains Pizza Hut, KFC and Costa Coffee, has reportedly entered into a joint venture (JV) with GMR Group to set up multiple food retail outlets at the Delhi International Airport.

DIL is also planning to set up food courts at Jaipur, Amritsar and Chandigarh airports, and has already put in tenders with the Airports Authority of India for the same. On an average, the investment on a food court of about 12,000 sq ft involves a cost of close to Rs 10 crore. 

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A Short Inspirational Story: Its You

One  day  all the employees reached the office and they saw a big advice on the  door  on  which  it  was  written:  'Yesterday the person who has been hindering  your  growth  in this company passed away. We invite you to join the funeral in the room that has been prepared in the gym'. In  the  beginning,  they  all  got  sad  for  the  death  of  one of their colleagues,  but after a while they started getting curious to know who was that man who hindered the growth of his colleagues and the company itself.

The  more  people  reached  the  coffin, the more the excitement heated up. Everyone  thought: 'Who is this guy who was hindering my progress? Well, at least he died!'. One  by  one the thrilled employees got closer to the coffin, and when they looked  inside  it  they  suddenly became speechless. They stood nearby the coffin,  shocked and in silence, as if someone had touched the deepest part of their soul. There  was  a mirror inside the coffin: everyone who looked inside it could see himself.

There  was  also  a  sign  next to the mirror that said: 'There is only one person who is capable to set limits to your growth: it is YOU. You  are  the only person who can revolutionize your life. You are the only person who can influence your happiness, your realization and your success. You are the only person who can help yourself.

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RE/MAX Franchise expands network in South India

RE/MAX, a US-based international property brokerage chain, is expanding its franchise network in the South India. It has firmed up a master regional franchise for Tamil Nadu (excluding Chennai, for which it finalised a franchisee in June 2009, as reported previously by Way2Franchise.com) and will soon expand into Andhra Pradesh, Goa and Gujarat.

According to Mr Sam Chopra, Director, RE/MAX India, and part of a group that operates the Indian master franchise, since its launch in April 2009. RE/MAX has tied up with regional franchisees in seven States representing 32 regions for RE/MAX. In the South it has expanded into Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

The RE/MAX Franchise is present in over 74 countries and 7,000 offices and aims to introduce a degree of professionalism and accountability into the business of real estate brokerage which is dominated by the unorganised sector. The key feature on which it builds its network is that, unlike the typical brokerage business, the major share of a commission in a property deal is left to the ground level associate rather than the top man.

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Franchise Mart Shop Guwahati Unveiled to Serve North-East Region

With one more Franchise Mart Shop in Guwahati Franchise Mart India has added one more channel partner in its successful network.

Franchise Mart India Pvt Ltd is has taken one more successful step in strengthening its arm by inaugurating the “Franchise Mart Shop Guwahati.” With the “Franchise Mart Shop Guwahati” now Franchise Mart has added one more Channel Partner in its Successful Network. Franchise Mart is a franchisee chain of franchise brokers across India.

In the presence of COO of Franchise Mart Mr.Falgun Angadia and Expansion Head Mr. Pankaj Kumar, Mr. Rajesh Goswami- the Channel Partner inaugurated “Franchise Mart Shop Guwahati” On 23rd September. Opened at Waheb Complex, Zoo Tinali Road, “Franchise Mart Shop Guwahati” is ready to serve the Entrepreneurs and Business aspirants of Aasam.

Mr. Rajesh Goswami- the owner of Franchise Mart Shop said, “Guwahati is known as the gateway to the North-East region and considered as one of the major cities in eastern India. With Franchise Mart Shop Guwahati, Franchise Mart will try to enhance the Business Opportunities in this region. The major economic activities here are trade and commerce, transportation and services. As Guwahati is the most important trade hub in NER (North East Region) Franchise Mart Shop will definitely help the businessmen to find appropriate franchise for themselves.”

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Franchise Mart Shop Guwahati Unveiled to Serve North-East Region

With one more Franchise Mart Shop in Guwahati Franchise Mart India has added one more channel partner in its successful network.

Franchise Mart India Pvt Ltd is has taken one more successful step in strengthening its arm by inaugurating the “Franchise Mart Shop Guwahati.” With the “Franchise Mart Shop Guwahati” now Franchise Mart has added one more Channel Partner in its Successful Network. Franchise Mart is a franchisee chain of franchise brokers across India.

In the presence of COO of Franchise Mart Mr.Falgun Angadia and Expansion Head Mr. Pankaj Kumar, Mr. Rajesh Goswami- the Channel Partner inaugurated “Franchise Mart Shop Guwahati” On 23rd September. Opened at Waheb Complex, Zoo Tinali Road, “Franchise Mart Shop Guwahati” is ready to serve the Entrepreneurs and Business aspirants of Aasam.

Mr. Rajesh Goswami- the owner of Franchise Mart Shop said, “Guwahati is known as the gateway to the North-East region and considered as one of the major cities in eastern India. With Franchise Mart Shop Guwahati, Franchise Mart will try to enhance the Business Opportunities in this region. The major economic activities here are trade and commerce, transportation and services. As Guwahati is the most important trade hub in NER (North East Region) Franchise Mart Shop will definitely help the businessmen to find appropriate franchise for themselves.”

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Raymond Franchise to mark 500 by Oct. 17th 2009, Diwali

The Raymond Franchise is all set to expand by increasing its total outlet stores to more than 500 by October 2009. The company will open around 70 new stores prior to Diwali this year. All these outlets will be opened through the franchise route in smaller towns across the country. The 70 franchised stores will be opened in the class IV and V towns of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Orissa, Madya Pradesh, Gujarat and also in a few towns of South India. Anirudh Deshmukh, President, Retail and FMCG Raymond said, “Raymond has always given preference to open outlets in smaller towns where the population is less than five lakh and it will carry on its tradition. We already have around 100 outlets in the smaller towns.” 

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Brand Gandhi lives by licensing to luxury brands

Mahatma Gandhi, a prolific writer, may not have ever used a Mont Blanc to write any of his soul- stirring words, nor did he flaunt any branded item of daily use even when he was a successful lawyer in South Africa, but that hasn't stopped him from becoming one of the most respected brands in the country, 140 years after he was born this day in the then princely state of Porbandar.

Mont Blanc, the Swiss luxury brand, unveiled a limited edition of 241 pens in Mumbai earlier this week to commemorate Gandhi's 241- milelong Dandi March against the punitive salt tax in 1930. The pen, which has an 18- carat gold nib plated with rhodium, is priced at Rs 14 lakh (USD 28,000). The company has also rolled out the ' Mahatma Gandhi 3000' pen ( priced at Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 1.7 lakh i.e. USD 3000 to USD 3400) with sterling silver mountings on its cap and the cone.

" We must learn to accept that Mont Blanc is not associated with being frugal as Bapu was. Still, they have felt the need to salute his image," says Tushar Gandhi, the Mahatma's great grandson. Mont Blanc, though, is not the first big brand that has wanted to get linked with the Mahatma. Says Tushar Gandhi, " One of the most surprising cases was the campaign the makers of the Audi car had conceived of, exclusively for Spain, where they had wanted to license Bapu's image. I asked them how they would justify the use of Bapu's image in that campaign. They replied it was the ' long- lasting untarnished image of Mahatma Gandhi' that they wanted Audi to be identified with." But the campaign got shelved mid- way for some undisclosed reason.

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Canadian PreSchool, Maple Bear Expands in Indian Subcontinent, Bangladesh

Maple Bear is a Canadian franchise school. The curriculum has been developed by Canadian Education Centre Network, which was set up with the support of the Government of Canada to promote Canadian education internationally. With its headquarter based in Vancouver, Canada, Maple Bear has global operations in Bangladesh, Brazil, China, France, India, Morocco, South Korea, Turkey, Vietnam. The Program Developers of Maple Bear are experts in education. They have won several awards from the Canadian government. Mr. Rodney Briggs is the President of Maple Bear; while Mr. Gerald Macleod is the Vice President. 

Maple Bear started its operation in Dhaka in 2007. Maple Bear is the only Canadian franchise school in Bangladesh. In Bangladesh, First Step Research Centre Limited is the franchisee. This company has board members from Bangladesh and UK. The board members are accomplished individuals in the corporate sectors of both the countries. 

The faculty have been trained by Master Trainers to be able to implement Maple Bear's curriculum. Teachers have the option of sharing their views, ideas among different centres all over the world. Canadian education is one of the best in the world. 

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Thai franchise, Smart Shop 108 opens in Dimapur, Nagaland 

Dimapur, September 30: One of Thailand’s most successful companies, Smart Shop 108 (p) limited, with franchise partner Holika Sema, opened its first convenience chain store in Dimapur today. The company, having 1,000 outlets in Thailand alone, has six other stores in India and plans to expand.

The newly opened Smart Shop 108 located at KE complex at Nagarjan junction in Dimapur. An array of food stuff stacked on shelves at the new Thai franchise. 

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The Flipside of Social Media: YouTube prank forces Domino's Pizza franchise to close

You would have probably heard a lot of people extolling several benefits of Social Media Marketing, here is an example, of how a simple prank led to the downfall of a Dominos Franchisee. 

The owner of a North Carolina Domino's Pizza franchise that gained worldwide notoriety after two employees posted several gross videos on YouTube lost so much business because of the prank that he had to close up shop. The franchise in Conover, N.C., shut its doors last week, according to the local Hickory Daily Record. "My business was off 58 percent because of YouTube," owner Kevin Hendren told the paper.

Back on April 13, five video clips showing a Domino's Pizza employee performing unsavory acts with food showed up on YouTube. The videos, shot and posted by a second employee, became Internet sensations. Bloggers uncovered the identities of the employees, Kristy Hammonds, 31, and Michael Setzer, 32, who were arrested and charged with felony food tampering. Meanwhile, using social media tools, Domino's officials tried fighting the fire with fire by posting their own YouTube video denouncing the acts.

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