Women Setting Up Franchisee Outlets

Economic Times:

Call it retail’s tribute to independent women. As marketers queue up to woo women consumers for products across categories, including vehicles, home furnishing, phone cards and more, the fair sex is now garnering a fair share of the franchisee outlets. As several leading corporates are expanding retail footprint, womenpreneurs across India are weaving success stories.

According to Franchising Association of India, the number of women setting up franchisee outlets is going up consistently. ‘As higher number of women have industry experience and are independent, they are increasingly preferring to set up their own venture. Also, the booming retail sector is offering them opportunity to grow,’ said Franchising Association of India’s deputy executive officer Dhawal Shah.

Industry experts say there are 75,000 franchisee outlets and around 10-15% are owned and managed by women. The share has increased around 20% in the past 2 years. S Kumars Nationwide Ltd’s home linen brand Carmaichel House, which is reaching out to cities across the country, is also inviting women entrepreneurs to take up franchisee offers for company’s retail outlets. ‘As women are interested in home decor and furnishing, a lot of them are showing interest in setting up outlets. And we are encouraging the trend,’ said S Kumars’ home textile divisions CEO Alok Banerjee.

At present, the company operates around 22 franchisee outlets and has signed deals for 30 more outlets. ‘Of the total franchisee outlets we operate, around 30 outlets are run by women,’ Banerjee said. The company is finding more takers among women in Kerala who are showing interest in coming up with franchisee outlets.