Franchise India 2009 witnessed vigorous discussions on the upcoming retail trends and the future of the Indian retail industry. Rakhee Nagpal, MD Dynamic Vertical Solutions while speaking at the Entrepreneur Summit said that the Indian retail industry is growing currently at 10% of GDP and is likely to get double in the next few years. Foreign companies are tying up with Indian companies because of their strong domain knowledge and good distribution system. Besides other likely developments in the retail scenario as discussed in the Summit are:

• Europe’s largest retail, Carrefour SA is gearing up to start its operations in India in the next year and plans to set up its first cash-and-carry outlet in NCR.
• Jewellery manufacturer and retailer, Gitanjali Group and MMTC would jointly set up a chain of exclusive retail outlets called Shuddi- Sampurna Vishwas in the next year to retail hallmark gold and diamond jewellery.
• Mahindra Retail plans to invest 19.8 million dollar by 2010 and come up with speciality retail concept ‘Mom and Me’
• Pantaloons Retail India is investing further (more than $103.3 million) to expant its mall Central over the next two years.
• WalMart has tied up with Bharti and has come up with a store in Amritsar and plans to open few more. Carrefour is looking to enter India in the next year.
• Tesco, UK’s retail giant has entered into a joint venture with Tata’s Trent Ltd. to start operations in India.
• JSW steel, which currently owns 50 steel retail outlets, is gearing up for 200 stores by 2010. Essar stell are also planning to increase their number of retail outlets (Essar Hypermarts)
• UK’s biggest retailer Tesco, have entered into a 50:50 joint venture with Trent Ltd. (Tata Group’s retail arm) as they plan to open stores in India very soon.

The multi-faceted licensing is all set to redefine Indian fashion world while opening up new avenues to explore. Consumers of all ages, sexes, interests, etc. are forever looking for what’s haute, what meets their needs, fits their perfect lifestyles and, perhaps the most essential, what makes them look and feel good. In this fashionable world, which is experiencing cut throat competition, licensing serves as a preferred channel, holding tremendous potential of its capability to create a meaningful revenue stream for its fashion merchandising that can appeal to a targeted lucrative segment of the buying audience.

In India, when referring to the fashion industry, it is undoubtedly the men apparel brands which happen to be the most prominent category where licensing is witnessed. The category of men apparel brands is considered to be more organized in comparison to the women apparel brands.  In India many foreign brands like Lee, Arrow and Van Heusen revolutionized the idea of styling by popularizing the concept of ready-to-wear in the menswear segment and role of licensing in this respect is mention-worthy for enabling these foreign brands a smooth entry and to acclimatize to the new market.

In the next phase of the open economy the Indian market has also witnessed the launching of the brands like Esprit by Madura Garments and Tommy Hilfiger by Arvind Brands via licensing route.  We can also refer to a plethora of luxury brands, including Gucci, Jimmy Choo and Versace who have adopted the licensing route to make an entry in India.

While commenting upon potential of fashion licensing, Mr Pradeep Hirani, Chairman of Kimaya, says, ‘’ India has the maximum number of fashion shows. The fashion infrastructure is booming in the country and the recession is working in favour of India which happens to be the best place to provide couture at prêt prices. Fashion licensing can create a major impact and we should leverage this strength.’’

The Fashion Industry is surely to go global as the current domestic fashion industry constitutes 0.2 per cent of the global designer wear market which is Rs 162,900 crore and is increasing 9.5 per cent annually thereby implying a promising and a bright future. This is further cemented by the fact that many international brands have taken licensing as their preferred channel to tread on the Indian territory, and Indians, on the other hand are getting the real taste of the international fashion trends.

You need not have to take a trip to a foreign country to pick your favourite brand, any more. Many international brands have launched their brands in India and many are planning to. Numerous international brands have already made a strong position in the Indian retail market. International brands in India are present across various verticals within retail like apparel, shoes, electronics, cosmetics, food and entertainment. The brands in India are available for various price ranges.

Footwear retail has attracted many international brands to India.  Many brands like Aldo, Nine West, have already won a lot of loyal customers. Though the fashion footwear brands entered India quite late, but the brands into sports footwear like Nike, Adidas and Reebok have been available since long. Reebok India was the first among these to enter India in 1995, followed by Nike and Adidas. Ninewest a fashion footwear brand entered India in 2002. Another footwear brand in the Indian market is Bally. Aldo, one of the most desired brands in India was launched in Mumbai, in 2005. These brands not just supply the footwear but offer accessories as well.

International apparel brands, also, have ventured the Indian retail market. Brands like Mango, Nautica, Channel, Guess, and Tommy Hilfiger etc. have tremendously hit the market.

India has witnessed foreign investments and joint ventures on a large scale in the food and beverages industry. Food brands like McDonald’s, Pizza Hut are very popular among the youth. McDonald’s tops the list of popularity as it offers low cost food products, which are affordable by common man.

Luxury retail shops, which were initially found only in the five star hotels, are now present in almost every mall. International brands which took the initial risks are making a massive profit, today. India surely has a great potential to be the best in the retail business.

International Franchise ‘09

International Pavilion at Franchise India 2009, hosted on November 26-27, 2009 at Hotel Ashok, New Delhi, will showcase a whole host of brands and trademarks from all over the world and is the ideal platform for global chains to showcase their opportunity to potential partners. The opportunity can also be tapped by the Indian businesses that are planning to venture foreign markets.

Mr Sanjay Vakharia, Director, Spykar Lifestyle Pvt. Ltd has been associated with the organization since its inception in 1992. Quick to spot marketing opportunities, Mr Vakharia has been primarily responsible for the brand image that Spykar enjoys today.

With a Master’s Degree in Management, his sharp business acumen saw him rise from the position of Marketing Manager to Marketing Director, and now Director – Spykar. Today, he is responsible for the overall marketing and brand communication strategies of the company.

His focus, in terms of communicating directly to Spykar’s core audience, people in the 14-26 years age bracket has never wavered. Under the astute direction of Mr Vakharia, Spykar Jeans has followed a distribution strategy of retailing through at over 700 multi brand outlets across India and large format stores like Shoppers’ Stop, Lifestyle, Pyramid, Globus, Pantaloons etc. Spykar also retails through exclusive stores across the nation. The brand has expanded its footprints pan India by setting up 200 exclusive Spykar outlets.

Mr Vakharia has travelled extensively to acquire knowledge, be it garments or accessories or marketing techniques and POS material. These inputs have really propelled Spykar in to a truly world class denim brand, where the accent on quality never wavers and at the same time delivers a product that is easily distinguishable from the rest of the brands in the denim market.

From the very beginning of his career Mr Vakharia has drawn a rich experience in fashion and lifestyle industry through his close association with some well known fashion houses.  Prior to joining Spykar, he worked with Magna Publications as the Export Manager (Garments) wherein he was responsible for setting up the marketing network in the US & UK markets. By 1992, he was heading the manufacturing and marketing of the denim company, Ragz. His extensive experience in the fashion industry makes Mr Vakharia the ideal speaker as he will be able to share his innovative views on the subject with the delegates. He will be addressing the audience on the current trends in fashion, home décor and lifestyle licensing at the Brand Licensing Conference 2009 at Hotel Ashok on 26-27 Nov 2009.

So book your dates to be a part of this gala event and meet this outstanding industry expert!

Everyone of us have a bit of fashion guru in us especially when judging others’ dressing sense. On a serious note, you can nurture the fashion expert in you by taking a step further. The easiest way to get into the world of fashion is to start a fashion franchise. Be it shoes, suits, dresses, or accessories, there are tremendous franchise opportunities in the fashion world. Clothing, footwear and accessories together occupy over 40 per cent share of organised retail in India. In today’s time more than ever the fashion industry is gearing up to focus more sharply on brand penetration across the nation. Both aspiring entrepreneurs and companies into fashion can consider franchising to make the most of the opportunity.

Start a franchise!

Starting a franchise is an easy way of owning a business because you are enveloped by the stability and security of an established brand. You get the exclusive right to trade in the area under the name of the fashion brand you choose. For a pre-determined franchise investment, you get a significant head-start on conventional business start-ups. Training, marketing, and stock are typically provided along with the franchise. However, making an investment in a franchise is a big commitment, you need to be careful! Therefore, Fashion Franchise 09, a part of Franchise India 2009, to be held at Hotel Ashok in New Delhi, on November 26-27, 2009, has organised forums, conferences, exhibitions to let you know, how to venture the world of fashion franchising and opportunities available. If you are contemplating to take the plunge, Franchise India 2009 is for you!

Start franchising!

Though a lot of fashion brands have made the practice common, yet, it remains a mystery to most small fashion-business owners, who want to know the difference between franchising and simply opening additional stores of their fashion brands? Determining if a fashion-business is franchisable is also an issue. Furthermore, there are issues like how to create and sell a franchise, and the cost of franchising.  According to an industry survey, the average start-up franchisor sells 9 franchises in its first year, 11 in second, 13 in third, and 20 per year, thereafter.

The advantage of franchising is that you have owner/managers, in the form of franchisees, who think the way you do at the unit level. Also, franchising makes rapid expansion affordable because it is fueled by the franchisees’ capital— the franchise fees, or royalty fees.

How do you know if you can sell franchises? Well! Fashion Franchise 09 is the destination to be, if you need not just the answer but also wish to meet the prospective franchisees. Do not miss the opportunity to consult the world’s best mastermind in Retail like Raghu B Vishwanath, Vertebrand, Marie Louise Jacobsen, Retail Management Solutions, Singapore, Hsien Naidu, Director (Astreem), Singapore, Brendan Dorrian, CEO, Global Retail Network, UK. Also Learn & network with Best Fashion Brands in India like S. Ravikant, COO, Titan, Eyewear Division, Claus Walther Jensen, MD, Change, Denmark, Charu Sachdev, Director, TSG Clothing, Akhil Chaturvedi, Chairman, Provogue, Jay Gupta, MD, The Loot, Sanjay Kapur, MD, Genesis, DPS Kohli, Managing Director, Koutons, Mehul Choksi, Chairman, Gitanjali Group, Vinay Nadkarni, CEO, Globus, Tarun Joshi, CEO, Brand House Retail.

Fashion Franchise 09

The Fashion Zone, of Retailer 2009, at Franchise India 2009 will provide an apposite platform to exchange your future business plans, branding and growth strategy with your current and prospective dealers and distributors. The Fashion zone will create an ideal environment to plan your innovative promotions and consolidate your brand’s position amongst high-value retailers, important agents, distributors, dealers and prospective franchisees. The platform is an invaluable method to connect prospective franchisees with well established national and international brands.