Franchise Business Opportunities

indiaretailing.com:

Kidswear brand Toon Kidz is looking to scale up its presence from 28 outlets to 150 by the end of this year. “The company is geared up to have 150 EBOs in the current year. We will have these EBOs opened in A and B cities of India,” said Venkat RV, MD, Toon Kidz to IndiaRetailing.

Meanwhile, most of the proposed stores will be franchisee-owned. “We are sure that franchising is the best suitable plan for the apparel industry. All the leading brands world wide follows the same route and it is a proven business model over a period of time,” added Venkat.

Talking further about the average investment per store, Venkat disclosed, “The investment required per store will be Rs 16 lakh to 25 lakh. The average retail space per store will be 1,000 square feet.”

Discussing the business model of Toon Kidz, Venkat informed, “Our company is offering minimum guaranteed returns on the project i.e., 18 per cent on the investments plus the total operational cost. This is a very strong point of the whole business model.”

About company’s overseas operations, Venkat said, “In the Gulf, we have our presence in 85 LFS formats and 3 EBOs are coming up. We have 6 EBO stores getting launched in Egypt.”

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• VIJAY SAINI on Koutons Retail (India): Hold
• VIJAY SAINI on Koutons Retail (India): Hold

PR Web:

Insulated Concrete Walls Inc. (ICW) announced today that it has officially launched its new Franchising Program. The Company plans to sell its professional installation model for the installation of insulated concrete forms (ICF), throughout the nation. A newly created company, ICW Franchising LLC, will host the new franchising business as an operating division of the parent company ICF Solutions, Inc.

“The impressive growth of insulated concrete form construction continues even in light of the current economic situation, and the need for quality ICF installers has never been greater”, says Jeff Alexander – President. “ICW has become widely recognized as an industry leader, therefore we think it’s a great time to offer our operating model and brand name to interested building professionals. ICF construction has been around for some time now, and most contractors would agree if they have had any issues building with ICF’s it’s been due to the installer rather than the forming system used”, continues Alexander.

Read more.

Hotel Interactive, Inc:

Hampton Hotels, the international brand of nearly 1,700 mid-priced Hampton Inn® and Hampton Inn & Suites® hotels, today announced that it opened 14 properties during March 2009, aggregating 1,224 new rooms. The new openings include two Hampton Inn hotels and eleven Hampton Inn & Suites properties, as well as one Hampton by Hilton which marks the brand’s first location in England. All openings are franchised, newly constructed hotels.

“Not only is 2009 shaping up to be a record year for domestic development growth, but we also are making meaningful headway internationally, as our first entry into England with the Hampton by Hilton Corby/Kettering attests,” said Phil Cordell, Global Head, Hilton Focused Service and Hampton Brand Management. “Guests appreciate our bundled amenities and price sensitivity, while developers like working with a well established hotel franchisor with such strengths as a central reservation system and the Hilton HHonors loyalty program.”

Grand Junction Sentinel:

When you say Einstein on the Front Range, residents don’t automatically think of the wild-haired, 20th century genius famous for the theory of relativity. Some of them think instead about bagels.

That may soon be the case on the Western Slope as well.

Einstein Bros. Bagels, a Lakewood-based business with more than 400 locations nationwide, finally is venturing to the other side of Colorado.

Franchisee John Cassity recently moved to Grand Junction from Boulder and has agreed to open six locations in the next 5 1/2 years in western Colorado and St. George, Utah, markets. Cassity bought the territorial rights for the area that stretches from Summit County on the Interstate 70 corridor to Washington County in Utah.

Cassity said trips to Einstein Bros. Bagels are a tradition for him and his wife.

“We missed it so much when we moved here,” said Cassity, who has been a commercial banker for the past 10 years, and has played around with becoming a restaurant franchisee. “We were looking at what would be the right foothold when we moved to Grand Junction.”

Wide-Format Imaging:

Hank Kronbach, Franchisee Owner of several The UPS Stores in the Winston-Salem area, decided to bring the sign printing industry in house to one of his locations for the first time with Mutoh’s ValueJet 1614-64″ printer.

The UPS Store located in Winston-Salem has been up and running with Mutoh’s ValueJet since June 2008. The store no longer has to farm these projects out and is serving as a hub for sign projects needed by the 21 surrounding UPS stores. The UPS Store offers UPS shipping, packaging services, freight, signs/banners, documents services including color copies, mail box services, and much more.

The Winston-Salem location has doubled in size and has been remodeled to accommodate the new Sign Department in house.

Malaysia Star:

Roasters Asia Pacific, the international operator of casual dining restaurant chain Kenny Rogers Roasters, plans to expand its footprint in Asia in the next two years through its franchising business model.

Executive director Datuk Francis Lee says the company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Berjaya Corp Bhd, is looking at southern China, Hong Kong, Macau, India, Mongolia and the Middle East where it is currently talking to local parties.

“It takes time to choose the right partners as we want strong partners that can be committed and help us grow the brand,” he tells StarBizWeek in an interview.

He says the company expects to close half of the deals in two years and sign the development agreement.

Kenny Rogers has expanded its business into countries like Singapore, China, Dubai, Australia, the US and the Philippines. It has over 230 outlets globally, which is mostly run on the franchising model.

Roasters Asia Pacific bought over the master franchise for Kenny Rogers from the US-based Nathan’s Famous Inc in April last year.

Berjaya Roasters (M) Sdn Bhd (BRoasters) is the franchise holder of Kenny Rogers in Malaysia, where it operates 60 restaurants.

Franchising.com:

Continuing the boutique brand’s global rollout, Hotel Indigo today announced the opening of its first property in Central America. The 100-room Hotel Indigo is located in San Jose’s upscale neighborhood of Santa Ana, one of the city’s fastest developing areas and an excellent starting point to visit some of the world’s most compelling eco-tourism destinations.

Uniquely designed to reflect the local culture, character and geography of the surrounding area, Hotel Indigo San Jose Forum showcases Costa Rica’s tropical climate and natural settings by incorporating oversized and artistic photographic images throughout the hotel of tropical flowers, waterfalls, coffee beans and dynamic elements of the rain forest. The use of water features at the main entrance and lobby along with contrasting colors and different textures from the floors to the ceiling are an understated homage to the country’s natural resources.

From the locally-inspired murals to the seasonal renewal program where the images, music, scent, and menu items change four times a year, Hotel Indigo delivers a vibrant, engaging and genuine boutique experience that gives guests the confidence to step out and explore the local neighborhood.

Franchising.net.au:

Franchisees’ gross profit across the Battery World network has grown while the company has recorded almost 20 per cent like for like growth on its previous year’s trading.

General manager James Nixon-Smith said the chain’s revenue is expected to exceed $60 million this year, almost double the annual sales recorded since he joined the company in 2004. Figures for the first quarter of 2009 are already showing an increase.

He said the group’s consecutive double digit growth annually was testament to Battery World’s strong franchise model.

Nixon-Smith told Franchising , “we’ve been pretty happy. This has given us confidence in our new business model. It’s the culmination of three or four years work.” More.

The Franchise Magazine:

Like any parent, the kids have to come first and, as a single parent, life was too hectic. I needed to take more control and that meant a job that allows me to manage my hours around the kids; a job that gives me a better work life fit; in short, I needed to be my own boss.

In SMART ABC I’ve found a sound business proposition which is already reaping good returns even after just one month; a company that supports me and a job that fits with my family life. I was attracted to ABC because of the quality of their product and the professional attitude of their team. They’re incredibly supportive, helpful and approachable. I struggled to fit in the initial training because of family commitments but as always SMART ABC had the solution. They bent over backwards to rearrange the training to accommodate my needs.

There’s a proven market for SMART repairs and there’s the potential of high earnings for anyone with the right type and standard of service. When you take into account their low set up costs, SMART ABC wins on every level…

Webnewswire.com:

Zeme Organics, an organic clothing company, is all set to franchise its business by joining hands with the largest integrated franchise and retail solution provider Franchise India Holdings Limited (FIHL).

Zeme Organics Pvt. Ltd is a Bangalore based company which sells environmental friendly organic cotton garments under the brand name ‘Zeme’ in India and other countries. It was conceptualized in San Francisco, California and was created in India, in December 2007. It deals in 100 % Organic clothes for Infants 0-4 years, men, women and maternity. Their products are sold under the brand name Zeme.

Zeme Organics has now ventured in to the franchising market and is all set to open multiple outlets across the country through FIHL, which is known for its effectiveness in creating & delivering solutions; to meet the needs of its clients and investors.

According to Mr. Gaurav Marya, President, FIHL, “We are delighted to partner with Zeme Organics, which is known to offer their customers the best possible combination of design, functionality and price.”