Indian Grooming Industry Riding High At The Back Of Franchising Model

When we talk about the makeover, the Indian grooming industry is the one that has really evolved in the past few years. Until a few years ago, a local barbershop was perhaps the only alternative ever imagined by a man in case he wanted to have a haircut. Haircuts and styles adopted by the celebrities were probably the sole point of inspiration and were quite common and easily visible for the visitors to the saloon. Things were not too different in the high spending women's category and a nearby beauty parlor carrying a women's only tag was the farthest one would have ever imagined. These were run by local entrepreneurs and controlled the bulk of the business. However, coming up of franchises and unisex saloons has changed all that and the same is likely to continue in the times to come as well.

Corporate culture, better spending capabilities and a broadened thinking have affected the taste and perceiving capabilities and people are ready to pay more for better hairstyles and services than the recent past. Stats reveal that they are trying out more alternatives than ever before to find the perfect one and most are settling for a well-known brand name generally running on a franchise model.

Another interesting thing to know at this point is that men are spending on grooming more than ever before and are contributing to a major share of the revenues grossed by grooming franchise. Vikram Bhatt, the Director of Enrich said," Men account for 35 per cent of our footfall and 40 per cent of our revenues." The sales figure of the Mumbai based chain was a staggering `55 crores in the last fiscal year and they plan to increase the number of outlets to 40 by the current year.

All this simply points to the fact that the Indian Grooming industry is expanding at a tremendous paced and the same is likely to continue in the times to come as well. This opens up a great opportunity to all those who are looking to be their own boss and start a business. Opting for a grooming franchise can simply be the perfect way to enter the business field. A number of well-known brands are offering the franchise business opportunities and all you need to do is to do a bit of research and select the right option as per the needs and requirements. In case you are not able to decide on the same or do not have much idea about the franchising process, all you need to do is get in touch with Franchise Partners. They are an expert in the field and would not only provide you with a range of options to select from but would also answer any related query you might have. They would also fix up the meeting with the representative of the franchise and would take care of the paperwork related to the deal.

Another great point to note here is that because of the boom in the business, the time required to break-even in terms of investment and revenue has also grown down considerably in the recent past. As per the experts, while it took around 12 months for a saloon to break even until a few years ago, today the point is attained in as less as four months. The major reason for the same in increased purchasing power as well as broaden the mindset where people are looking for more services than ever before. According to Veena Kumaravel, the CEO of Naturals Beauty Saloon, more spending by men is a major reason behind the same. She said," "We see them getting pedicures, manicures and facials, and even getting their hair colored," Experts are of the view that the industry would be double in size in the next three years.

The trend is certainly waving high in the metropolitans including Delhi-NCR, Kolkata, Chennai and Mumbai among others. However, the tier II and III cities are not far behind and soon they would compete with the big guns in terms of revenue generated per sale made. The advantage they have is there is still very less competition and most major grooming brands are looking to capture the related market. A noticeable trend that has been observed in the recent past is that both domestic and international players are opting for the Franchise model to expand in tier II and III cities. An example of the great impact of franchise in the Indian grooming industry can be Jawed Habib hair and beauty. Of the total 329 outlets, 301 are franchised.

The only point that may vary a few is that not all brands are opting for the same to expand the scope of their business. They are ready to limit the growth somewhat in order to ensure better control, centralize key functions and follow consistent processes, among others. However, since there are a number of national brands and new international ones entering in the country every other day, you still have a host of great options to consider and select from.

One major problem that you would be facing in case you opt for the grooming business is the lack of availability of skilled labor. Franchise model; however, allows the perfect alternative as most franchises have their own academics as well and interested people are taught the desired skills.

Those who complete the training get a monthly salary of  `10, 000 to `20, 000 per month in addition to the commission and tips.

The grooming business is certainly a lucrative option in an emerging economy like India. The growth opportunities are immense and there are a number of renowned brands that are working on a franchise model as well. Getting a loan to start is also easy and all the support and training is provided by most franchises. Since the break even period is only four months, opting for a loan is not a really bad idea especially when the chances of a failure are quite low. Franchise partner provides a franchise business solution  is a fully integrated consultancy firm, specializing in developing and growing franchise businesses