Tablez India looking at expanding franchisee business

The company runs 14 outlets of various brands and has plans to expand the total brand outlets to 100 across these brands by 2020

Tablez India, a division of Abu Dhabi-based LuLu Group International, is looking at expanding its franchise business to include more segments such as sports, fast moving consumer goods, perfumes and cosmetics, apart from other areas, for its existing markets, said Adeeb Ahmed, managing director of Tablez India. The company currently has tied up with global brands to launch food and beverages, toys, lifestyle and apparels in India.

"We are looking at adding new segments to our portfolio, including sports products. We want to touch the customer every day through one brand or the other and that is where our brand expansion is going to help us," said Ahmed, on the sidelines of the launch of its seventh store of US-based ice cream brand Cold Stone Creamery in Chennai.

The company runs 14 outlets of various brands and has plans to expand to 100 outlets across these brands by 2020. In the year 2013, it drew up plans to invest around Rs 400 crore and has already invested around 70 per cent of this amount. The plans to espand operations till 2020 will be funded from the rest of the investments, he added.

The brands it currently markets include Spanish company Grupo Cortefiel's youth apparel brand, Springfield, and innerwear brand, Women' Secret; US-based toy brand Toys 'R' Us and Colstone Creamery, apart from South Africa's flame-grilled chicken concept Galito's. It also has two home grown brands -- a boutique cafe and artisan bakery Bloomsbury's and an Indian fine dining restaurant called Peppermill. The company currrently operates over 35 outlets globally and plans to expand to 250 outlets by 2020.

Ahamed, who also heads the Group's money exchange business LuLu International Exchange, said the company would be looking at acquisitions to expand its money transfer business to various Asia Pacific countries.