A pioneer in the wallpaper industry in India since 1975, Marshalls specialises in manufacturing, importing and marketing of PVF wallpapers. In conversation with TFW, Baldev Sharma talks about his brand’s success and expansion.
What inspired you to expand your business through franchising?
Franchising gives the opportunity to tie up with dynamic entrepreneurs, which further helps the company to grow.
What business opportunity do you intend to provide to your franchisees?
Marshalls will provide its franchisees with a franchise model, where a franchisee is free from all administrative and infrastructure hassles and will concentrate only on the marketing aspect of the product.
How many exclusive brand outlets do you have and how many are you targeting in near future?
Presently, we have nine outlets in Mumbai, one each in Delhi, Bengaluru and Vapi. We are planning to expand through franchising by opening 16 new stores in the current financial year. We plan to open four more outlets in Mumbai, five in Delhi, four in Bengaluru and three in Pune.
What are your requisites for franchise investment?
The area required to open Marshalls outlet is 400-450 sq.ft. In terms of investment, which includes renovation of the store, franchise fees and security deposit, it is approximately Rs 10.5 lakh.
What qualities do you seek in a potential franchisee?
We want that our franchisee must run the showroom and should not be a mere investor. It is not mandatory that the franchisee should have a previous background in the same field.
How do you maintain standardisation of operations in your niche business concept?
Wallpaper business is a growing industry with a great potential. These days, the expenditure on interiors is increasing, therefore, it is the right time to join the industry where the income growth has no barriers. Our entire network runs on self-developed software, which connects all showrooms to our head office. Everything in the company is well connected, including stocks, which can be seen on our website as well. All showrooms are well connected. This helps us understand the quality of client presentations in all our showrooms.
What kind of training and support do you provide to your franchisees?
All franchisees and their staff are given training for a week. The initial training covers product knowledge as well as software training on which the company works. We also update our franchisees after every two months with the latest enhancements.
Any plans to expand your brand internationally?
No, we don’t have any such plans as of now.
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