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Toonz Retail to double store count to 200 by 2020; aims at Rs 100 crore turnover

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Toonz Retail looks to double its store count to 200 by 2020 and achieve a turnover of Rs 100 crore by 2018-19 financial year.

Toonz Retail to double store count to 200 by 2020; aims Rs 100 crore turnover
At present, Toonz Retail has over 100 outlets. The company opened 20 stores last year and is looking to open 24 outlets this year

“Given our aggressive growth plan, we are looking at opening 100 stores in the next 3 years. We want to be a one stop solution for a child’s needs … We are targeting Rs 100 crore turnover by fiscal 2018-19,” Managing Director and CEO, Toonz Retail, Sharad Venkta told PTI.

According to a PTI report: At present, Toonz Retail has over 100 outlets. The company opened 20 stores last year and is looking to open 24 outlets this year.

Venkta said the company is also diversifying its product portfolio with its two in-house brands.

“In our apparel sub-brand Superyoung, we will expand our product reach through various other channels apart from our own stores, while in Wow Mom we are looking at introducing whole range of baby care range and then create an independent strategy for these brands,” he was quoted by PTI as saying.

Elaborating on expansion, Venkta was further quoted by PTI as saying: “We are seeing good numbers from smaller towns along with encouraging year-on-year growth. Smaller towns have lower cost of operations also, thus we are targeting expansion in such towns which are high on potential and aspirations. From mix point of view 70 per cent stores will be in non-metros and balance 30 per cent in metros.”

When asked if the company is looking at raising funds to support expansion plans, he told PTI: “We are shaping our business well for profitability and sustainability. We are creating a model which gives sustained growth and optimises the funds, we shall look out for an opportunity to partner with a VC (venture capitalist) which brings in funds and adds value to our entire ecosystem”.

Currently, Toonz Retail is backed by Crystal group.

Toonz Retail operates stores in Delhi-NCR, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Haryana, Punjab, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Arunachal Pradesh.

Aptech logs onto preschool segment with Montana school

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Leading software-based education and training player Aptech today made a foray into the preschool education sector through a strategic alliance with the city-based Montana International Preschool.

Aptech, through the alliance, intends to extend its offering to 1,000 preschools over the next two years and has set a target of clocking ₹25 crore this academic year and over ₹ 60 crore in the second year, Aptech executive director Anuj Kacker told PTI.

Asked about the investment, he said 80 per cent of the cost will be borne by the franchise schools and the rest will be by Aptech but in effect it will be an asset light model for the company, while Montana will not incur any cost, except developing the curriculum and the content as well monitoring the schools in the alliance.

He said Aptech will share a portion of its revenue with Montana, which is a new player in the preschool sector having entered only in 2013 and currently running 10 preschools in the mega-polis.

When asked why a national player like Aptech tied with a little-known entity, Kacker said its their entrepreneurial spirit and the the quality of education that they offer.

Accordingly, the alliance, called Montana International preschool powered by Aptech (MIPA), will not be looking at roping in existing schools but very new ones or get entrepreneurs to start such schools. The alliance will also help them get bank loans, Kacker said.

While the new facility will be available immediately at the 10 Montana schools, the alliance plans to have 50 schools under the banner over the next two months. The second phase will see them entering the tier 1, 2 & 3 towns in the North, West and the South, Kacker said.

The alliance seeks to offer first-of-its-kind app enabling child safety monitoring, live view of child’s activity in class, on-demand child video conferencing, along with host of other features, Kacker said.

The curriculum has been developed by a team of experts from Aptech and Montana, based on the Multiple Intelligence Theory, Reggio Emilia Approach, the Montessori and Play way.

Kacker said preschool market is about ₹16,000 crore clipping at 23 per cent, making it the fastest growing segment in the education landscape. But almost two-thirds of the market is unorganised with no standardisation and very little emphasis on physical and cognitive development of the child.

Aptech, set up in 1986, runs over 1300 centres across 40 countries and has since trained over 6.8 million students in individual training and enterprise business.

Source: BusinessLine

Fashion jewellery brand Voylla enters franchise business

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fashion

Fashion jewellery brand Voylla has entered the franchise business after opening 100 company-owned stores in December 2016. The company’s debut franchise store has opened in Ludhiana.

Voylla’s franchises will spread across the country in the coming financial year.
Vishwas Shringi, CEO, Voylla said, “The main aim of entering the franchise business is to expand our operations and business all over the country. These franchise stores will be self-sustained and will also provide good returns on investment to the franchise owners. We plan to open a hundred more franchise outlets in next five years.
Voylla retails its collections online through Voylla.com and on marketplaces like Flipkart, Amazon and Myntra.
The startup opened its first store in Delhi in December 2015. In October 2015, Voylla raised $15 million from the private equity firm Peepul capital. It raised two rounds of funds in 2012 and 2013 by Snow Leopard Technology Ventures.

Source: TOI

Paper Boat to sail deeper into dairy-based beverages, ethnic snacks this summer

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Paper Boat thandai

After striking a different note for its ethnic drinks under the Paper Boat brand, Hector Beverages is now gearing up to scale up its presence in the dairy-based beverages segment, with thandai and spiced buttermilk.

The company had test-piloted thandai last year in Delhi-NCR. Thandai, a beverage closely associated with the festival of Holi in North India, is yet another attempt by the company to launch seasonal drinks to tap into “appointment drinking” consumption. In the past, it has launched sharbat during Ramzan and panakam during Ram Navami in the South.

“We saw very good response for thandai last year. So this year, we have significantly scaled it up. It will be available in modern trade outlets and other key retail outlets in Delhi, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh for the Holi season (March),” said Parvesh Debuka, Marketing Head, Hector Beverages. To cater to consumers beyond North India, it has also exclusively tied up with Amazon to sell thandai, especially in multi-pack formats.

“We aim to make thandai our top-selling beverage in February and March. We are trying to create a new category of “ready-to-drink thandai,” Debuka said.

The drink is being made at the company’s Mysuru plant, where the firm has developed capabilities to make dairy-based beverages. Hector Beverages’ attempts to grow its portfolio by adding dairy-based beverages are not just limited to thandai. It has been trying its hand with spiced buttermilk, neer more, in Tamil Nadu.

Debuka said the company will now look to expand the distribution of its spiced buttermilk offering in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh this summer.

Ethnic snacks

On the company’s foray into ethnic snacks last month, he said: “We have been pleasantly surprised with the consumer response to our ethnic snacks offering — chikki. We are selling chikki in select markets, such as Delhi-NCR, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. We are now looking at how we can scale this up.”

The company is likely to expand its ethnic snacks segment, too, with products such as aam papad.

Meanwhile, this summer, the company will launch one-litre packs of its beverages such as aam ras and aam panna. Paper Boat has largely been selling its drinks in single-serve 200 ml packs, and launched 500 ml packs late last year.

“Multi-serve packs will help us strengthen presence in modern trade stores and the e-commerce channel,” Debuka added.

Source : TheHinduBusinessLine

Pepperfry to expand offline presence as online sales slow

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The move will help Pepperfry increase its visibility as well as beat a slowdown in online sales, says co-founder and CEO Ambarish Murty

Pepperfry’s stores essentially serve as experience centres where prospective buyers can touch and feel a part of the assortment on Pepperfry as well as get home design consultation for free. Photo: Ramesh Pathania/Mint

Pepperfry’s stores essentially serve as experience centres where prospective buyers can touch and feel a part of the assortment on Pepperfry as well as get home design consultation for free. Photo: Ramesh Pathania/Mint

Bengaluru:Online furniture store Pepperfry is gearing up to expand its offline presence by launching a number of brick-and-mortar outlets over the next 12 months, following a similar push by rival Urban Ladder, which plans to launch its own experience centres and is on course to widen its offline distribution channels.

The move will help Pepperfry increase its visibility as well as beat a slowdown in online sales, said co-founder and CEO Ambarish Murty.

Online retailers witnessed moderate growth last year as they brought down discounts and marketing spends, somewhat constrained by a slowdown in funding as well as some government directives that barred them from influencing prices of products or focusing on a handful of sellers for a majority of sales.

According to a January study by RedSeer Management Consulting Pvt. Ltd, online retailers clocked about $58 billion in gross sales last year as against about $51 billion a year earlier, an increase of 13.7%.

Moreover, sales fell from $14 billion in the March quarter to about $13 billion each in the June and September quarters, before swelling to about $18 billion in the December quarter. This is in sharp contrast to 2015, when sales grew 17-27% every quarter.

“We realized last year that the rate of growth for online customers was stagnating. A lot of that was driven by fundamental macroeconomic shifts, driven by an orientation that the companies had to improve their financial architecture. Hence, spends on top line were lower last year. At that time, it was our duty as a business to create multiple other interfaces to connect with the business,” said Murty.

Pepperfry, owned by Trendsutra Platform Services Pvt. Ltd, will invest about $6 million this year to increase its store count from 14 currently in Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru and Pune to about 50 by December in several new cities including Ahmedabad, Kochi, Chandigarh and Lucknow, he said.

To be sure, Pepperfry, which opened its first offline store in Mumbai in 2014, does not sell directly from these stores. They essentially serve as experience centres where prospective buyers can touch and feel a part of the assortment on Pepperfry as well as get home design consultation for free.

“About 17% of the customers who have bought on Pepperfry in the last one month would have gone to a Pepperfry studio in the 60-day period prior to the purchase,” said Murty.

According to industry experts, adopting an omni-channel strategy—where businesses have both offline and online presence—is immensely important, especially for a category like furniture which is not standardized and has high average order value. Besides, in the Indian market, where online sales is still evolving, an offline presence is part of the brand-building exercise.

“Omni-channel is the way forward. Whatever apprehension was there with large furniture, which are high value, will go away with offline stores. Once consumers touch and feel and see, they get a certain level of comfort with the brand. Secondly, an offline presence will reinforce a company’s brand value. Otherwise, they will be viewed as a start-up. In India, everything with an online presence is being viewed as a start-up. Offline presence demystifies this start-up stamp on a company,” said Sreedhar Prasad, partner, e-commerce and start-ups at KPMG India.

Pepperfry’s nearest competitor, Urban Ladder, has launched a new brand identity and is on course to widen offline distribution channels beyond company-owned centres. It plans to launch at least three experience centres in Bengaluru, and is exploring partnerships with large format retail stores.

Urban Ladder also has its eye on local furniture stores, where it might take the assisted commerce route through kiosks displaying the Urban Ladder catalogue. It will also explore partnerships with paints and white goods appliances brands among others, which may involve cross-selling, Mint reported on 26 October.

To be sure, the likes of lingerie start-up Zivame, eyewear e-tailer Lenskart and babycare store Firstcry have already set up a large number of brick-and-mortar stores, while online fashion store Myntra is on course to open one in Bengaluru.

Source : Livemint 

HP to open 250 outlets this year to expand its reach in India

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PC maker HP is planning to expand its reach in the country, as the company is planning to add 250 outlets this year.

HP to open 250 outlets this year to expand its reach in India

The Omen series will available starting 15 March and it will include 5 notebooks and 1 desktop model

“Right now we have 450 stores in the country and we are going to add 250 more stores this year,” Ketan Patel, Senior Director, Personal Systems Business, HP Inc told Gizbot.

The company has also announced its foray into gaming section in India with the launch of OMEN series of products. It had earlier been launched in parts of the US and China among other places.

Regarding its competition with the existing players in the segment, he said, “This product is for gaming community and HP never had in this segments so the people had choices of other brand now we coming in this segment and the kind of engineering, reliability, performance, after sales services, the kind of retail network in India and the great legacy which customers are looking at and the entire range is very unique that we are giving to everykind of gamer.”

“We are open to launch more product and configrations but as of now only this product and it also depends on the feedback we will get,” he replied when asked about launching more products.

The Omen series will available starting 15 March and it will include 5 notebooks and 1 desktop model. The prices of the cheapest model stands as Rs.79, 990, while the top-end model will sell at Rs. 1,39,990.

According to Gartner, the overall, HP’s market share stood at 20.4 per cent in 3Q 2016 with th projects from the government, banking and the manufacturing sector.

Singam franchise milestone in my career, helped me reach the masses: Suriya

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Suriya

 

Actor Suriya, who awaits the release of Tamil actioner SI3, considers the Singam franchise a big milestone in his nearly two-decade long career.

“When I look back at my career, the Singam franchise as a brand stands out. It has been a milestone, because it helped me reach the masses. Naturally, I’m very excited about the third part,” said Suriya.

SI3, which is gearing up for release on February 9, is the third part in the franchise.

All the three parts have been directed by Hari. Reminiscing his journey with the filmmaker, Suriya said: “It has been a memorable one. There’s never been a bitter moment in our relationship. As director and actor, we understand and complement each other very well.”

He clarified that the third part has not been made to cash in on the success of the first two ones.

“Hari and I had originally planned to work on another script. However, fans requested we collaborate for the third part of Singam, and we obliged. Luckily, Hari had another script ready and we were good to go right away.”

Talking about the experience of working with Hari, he said: “I’m still in awe of the pace at which he works. You feel like you’re always on the toes on his set. Usually, you shoot three or four shots in a day when you’re working with any director. With Hari, we could shoot 90 shots in a single day and without compromising on the output.”

Going by the film’s promos, SI3 promises a lot of action. Suriya said he loved shooting for action sequences in the film.

“Thanks to the excitement of stunt master Kanal Kannan, shooting action scenes was so much fun,” he said.

The film also stars Shruti Haasan and Anushka Shetty in supporting roles.

Source: HindustanTimes

Karan Johar confirms the third franchise of ‘Dulhania’ with Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt

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badrinath-ki-dulhania

Recently the trailer of Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt starrer ‘Badrinath ki Dulhania’ was out and needless to mention, it garnered praises from audiences and all our excitement paid off well. This movie is the second installment of the 2014 hit movie ‘Humpty Sharma ki Dulhania‘ which saw the same lead pair and was an out and out entertainer. The trailer for the second installment of the franchise was launched on February 2, and at the trailer launch, producer Karan Johar confirmed that there will be a third installment of the ‘Dulhaniya’ series and like its prequels, it too will star the superhit pair of Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt and will be directed by Shashank Khaitan.

At the film’s trailer launch in Mumbai, in the presence of their mentor Karan Johar, Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan’s chemistry was on point as always. Alia Bhatt looked lovely in a traditional red number and Varun Dhawan looked dapper sporting a kurta and Nehru jacket. This is the duo’s third movie together after their debut in Student of the Year and Humpty Sharma ki Dulhania. At the film’s trailer launch, director Shashank Khaitan spoke to India.com and said that though he doesn’t have a script yet for the third film of the ‘Dulhania’ franchise, but it is surely going to happen.

Speaking about Alia as a bride, Varun Dhawan said, “I think Alia will make a good bahu as she is good with parents.” However, when Alia jokingly asked him if she will make for a good wife, Varun said, “I can’t say.”

Talking about his character, Varun said, “I’m very nervous. It feels like my first film. Badri is a very special character. I consumed a lot of alcohol during the film. This film has been more emotional than other films of mine.” Alia too talked about her character in the film, as she said, “Vaidehi (her character in the film) is not a shy girl at all. She’s domesticated, she’ll make for a good bahu, like Varun mentioned earlier, but she’s not shy at all – she’s very outspoken.” Of course, Alia had another important point to make as she added, “I’m the intelligent one in the film.”

On being asked why his character is named Badrinath, Varun revealed that he loved his on-screen name as it holds a significant place in his real life. Turns out, his best friend calls him ‘Badri’ as an abbreviation of ‘brother’.

 

Source: India.com

The power of public speaking

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Public speaking at exhibitions can be nerve-wracking and for most franchisors it is not their favourite part of franchise recruitment but it is a valuable and extremely effective way to generate those all-important leads.

Being nervous before giving a speech is natural and mafranchiseny franchisors will avoid public speaking or pass the job on to one of their team so that they don’t have to put themselves through it. However, speaking at exhibitions will not only help you draw in more prospects, it will also set you above your competition and choosing the best person for the job is very important.

Why speak at exhibitions?

Speaking at a franchise exhibition or industry event will attract those prospects who are curious to know more about you, your expert knowledge and your franchise opportunity. Whether that is directly to your stand or from a formally advertised speaking slot and then on to your stand, those who may not have wanted to approach you directly can feel more comfortable about engaging with you on a one-to-on basis after hearing you talk.

Franchisors who speak at exhibitions tend to leave with more high quality leads than those that don’t – if they do it right! Don’t forget that if the person delivering that talk for your brand isn’t vibrant, engaging, natural and well versed, then you could put prospects off rather than draw them in! So, no reading from slides, crumpled pieces of paper and definitely make sure your speaker knows the franchise inside out.

Scheduled speaking slots

Taking on a scheduled speaking slot that is available throughout the course of an exhibition is a great way to put yourself and, most importantly, your franchise in the limelight. If the speaking slot is scheduled, you will also have a profile in the exhibition’s show guide which will give prospects a great chance to schedule your slot into their day if they’re genuinely interested.

For these slots, make sure that you choose a topic that is educational and is not purely a sales pitch. Although it is a great opportunity to sell your franchise to gathered prospects, it’s also a great opportunity to set yourself as an expert in your industry. By speaking on a topic that is linked to your franchise, but is not openly selling your franchise, prospects will begin to trust you and want to speak to you personally. Make sure you finish your slot with a call to action. This will drive people back towards your stand and result in great follow-up conversations. Maybe you could offer them a free information pack or expert guide if they head over to your stand?

Speaking on stand

A speaking slot scheduled on your stand can be much shorter and more salesy so you can focus on selling your franchise opportunity. This slot can be around 5-10 minutes and can be repeated at regular intervals throughout the day. These slots will capture exhibition visitors’ attention and bring a stream of people over to your stand over the course of the day and help you to have quality conversations with people who are genuinely interested in what you have to offer.

Capture your audience

Being memorable means that you are more likely to have great conversations when you’ve finished your speaking slot. Make sure that your talk is interesting and represents your brand and franchise in the best possible light but also try to keep it fairly simple and concise! This will ensure more people stick around to find out more. It’s also a great idea to find a way to get contact details from prospects whilst you are talking to them, give them a reason to hand over their details such as offering an expert guide or more information on your upcoming discovery days. There’s no point having a good conversation if you can’t contact them later!

Follow up leads

The follow up is almost as important as the actual speaking slot. Before you even book your speaking slot, you need to plan how you’re going to follow up on those all-important leads. This will ensure that you and your team will be ready to follow your plan of action as soon as you all return to the office. Time is of the essence and you don’t have time to come up with a plan after the exhibition has taken place. Will you be inviting your prospects to a discovery day, emailing them an exclusive offer or sending over your latest newsletter?

Source : SelectYourFranchise

4 Essential Traits of a Franchisee

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There are many traits that successful leaders and entrepreneurs possess, traits like being attentive and highly motivated. But what traits should every franchisee have? Should you be a hard worker or maybe a good listener? There are dozens of traits that successful franchisees should have but for time’s sake, we’ve shortened the list below  to 4 essential traits.

4 Essential Traits of a Franch

Leader

Successful franchisees have to be successful leaders. A great leader is someone who is influential, with good decision-making and communication skills. Not everyone is born a leader but with patience, anyone can learn the traits of being a good leader. It’s important (although it’s not required) when starting a franchise that you have some experience leading a group or team, or holding a position in management.

Risk Taker

Franchisees have to be risk takers, there’s no way around that. When going into business, whether there’s a proven business model in place or not, there is an implied amount of risk that’s going to be taken. When starting a franchise, that implied risk is reduced compared to a start-up company. A great franchisee will take calculated risks; risks that will help make their business grow its revenues. It’s essential to take these risks and make important decisions to create a thriving business.

Communicator

When starting a franchise, being/becoming a good communicator is imperative. Franchisees must maintain clear and effective communication with their management team and employees. Franchisees will also need to stay in constant contact with the franchisor, customers, and suppliers. Ineffective communication could cause a hiccup in any part of the business cycle and serious issues down the road. Similar to being a great communicator, franchisees should also be able to network and manage business relationships effectively.

Willing to Learn

The business world is continually changing and to help combat this, many franchisors are constantly updating their training and support materials. Franchisees should be able to take any advice and training by the franchisor and effectively apply it to their business. Those willing to learn the ins and outs of the business are more likely to succeed.

All the traits listed above can be learned and perfected with hard work and determination. All successful franchisees don’t fit into the same mold; there are all kinds of personalities and management styles. Finding your management style is part of the process but it’s imperative that you’re able to lead and communicate effectively with your employees.

Source: Franchisegator

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