VLCC takes franchising route of expansion

New Delhi, Oct 5: Fitness and beauty brand VLCC Healthcare Limited today announced plans to adopt the franchising route to open 200 centres by the end of 2008-09, as a part of its earlier scheme to start 300 centres across the country.

VLCC's franchising model will focus on towns with a population between 10 crore to 50 crore, including towns/cities like Rohtak, Karnal, Phagwara, Moga, Udaipur, Ajmer, Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Jhansi, Roorkee, Dhanbad, Jamnagar, Ranchi, Kolhapur, and Kozhikode.

''We have seen huge interest in our services and therefore feel certain that our entry into this segment will be met with great enthusiasm. We believe that the franchisee channel is the correct approach to tap the huge consumer base which still remains unexplored in these cities and towns,'' VLCC COO Yogesh Sethi said.

In the first phase of the expansion plan, the company will establish 55 centres by the end of this year.

''VLCC franchisees will benefit from the enormous wealth of experience that the company has gathered over its 15 years of existence along with a simplified, turnkey package that will allow partners to open and operate its branded fitness centres with the same efficiency and quality that the company has come to be associated with,'' company Chairperson and Mentor Vandana Luthra said.

In order to ensure that franchising operations are seamless extensions of VLCCs own model, the franchisee would receive extensive training about the industry and the business.

UNI