Calcutta might witness a welcome spurt in shop-stops in the next few years, provided franchisees get their brands and location right.
A two-day interface between brands and franchisees organised by Franchise India and India Franchise Association in the city recently threw up the verdict that contrary to popular belief, Calcutta is emerging as an important destination for many retail brands.
“The city has been very successful in franchising in the education and services sector. It is now gaining ground in apparel and F&B too. There has been a 30-35 per cent growth in franchising in the past year in this city,†Sachin Marya of Franchise India told the conclave.
Col. (retd) Upendra Sachdev of Indian Franchise Association felt since Calcutta was “relatively a virgin territory compared with Delhi, which is saturated with franchisesâ€, there’s a lot of scope for growth.
Some brands are really bullish on the city and are moving fast to fill in the gaps. “We have about 10 franchises and four company-owned stores in Calcutta. We are looking at opening another four to five outlets in the city this year,†said N.P. Singh, the director (retail projects), Samsonite.
The brand that has a 70 per cent share of the pan-India business pie in the Rs 5,000-plus luggage segment, stressed that its growth in Calcutta was on a par with other cities.