A ‘Spa’ctacular Business Opportunity

INDULGENCE in premium quality beauty and wellness services under one roof is what all consumers vie for. Offering the same, IOSIS is a one-stop shop for wellness. It is the only brand associated with a celebrity partner and brand ambassador, which gives them a cutting edge over others with regard to brand recognition in the minds of customers. Iosis offers the Fusion of 4 technique, which encompasses all treatments of spa, skin, salon and slimming which helps a person look beautiful every day.

Founded by Kiran Bawa, IOSIS began its modest journey in 2007 as a spa and salon in suburban Mumbai, but quickly emerged as a promising leader in the Indian wellness industry. Today IOSIS, a joint venture between Kiran Bawa and Shilpa Shetty Kundra, is a brand which many refer to as 'The Midas Touch'. The seed of Iosis was sown in 2007 as a medi-spa and it became the first one of its kind in the industry. From a medi-spa the brand blossomed into Fusion of 4 which became a robust support for IOSIS, shaping it as a wellness and beauty brand in 2012. Now IOSIS boasts of various modules in its unique Fusion of 4, from hair & body to slimming & beauty, beauty & salon to yoga studios.

IOSIS' vision is to make India beautiful and bring joy to every individual's life through wellness and holistic beauty. The brand takes pride in offering quality technique, combined with warm customer service, as they believe that quality is indispensable and consumer's peace of mind is paramount. The quality of services the brand offers along with a trained therapist and a qualified backend team is very well accepted and appreciated pan-India.

The unique Fusion of 4 technique, combined with impeccable service delivery, is their USP. This non- invasive technique is carried out by professionally qualified personnel. Their qualified and trained personnel, including experienced nutritionists, spa therapists and physiotherapists are popular across India.

Iosis make-up pan-India

When asked about their foray into franchising for expansion, Vikram Bawa, Director - Strategic Expansion & Franchising, IOSIS, says: “The franchisie route is best adapted to enable such rapid expansion throughout the country. Franchising offers a win-win situation for both franchisor and franchisee. Our franchise model is designed in such a way that it efficiently executes localised marketing activities. It significantly works for promotion of the brand as well as to garner trust from all present and potential customers.”

With the combination of an excellent business model and a renowned brand, IOSIS has succeeded in strengthening their presence pan-India via franchising. Franchising has been fruitful for the brand. In the first year of franchising, IOSIS has three outlets, one each in Mumbai, Lucknow and Guwahati, and nine are due for opening before the end of August 2013 in Varanasi, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Pune, Delhi, Srinagar, Vadodara and two more in Mumbai. This kind of splendid progress from a modest beginning is self-explanatory of the aggressive growth path they have embarked on.

The IOSIS franchise model does not have any industry-specific conditions for selecting a franchisee. Integrity, basic education, minimum investment, appropriate location and enthusiasm towards entrepreneurship are the vital parameters that form the basis for selection.

Building franchisee's brand

One of the key benefits of running a franchise business is thorough training and support provided by the franchisor. Even franchisees with no prior experience in the industry can purchase a franchise of their own interest. Franchisors, who want to build a successful franchise network, invest a lot of time and money in a comprehensive training programme for their franchisees. IOSIS also does the same for their franchisees.

They provide complete management support to their managers and staff in the outlet for day-to-day operations. Their services include informing the franchisees of the tried and tested systems and procedures for initial recruitment, social media support and even training on new launches.

IOSIS acknowledges that the success of its franchise business depends on the ability of their franchisees to run their outlets efficiently, thereby promoting the growth of beauty and wellness. “Our franchisees are obligated to satisfy managerial and monetary stipulations as agreed while signing the deal,” says Kiran Bawa, Managing Director, IOSIS.

To have the same standards at all their outlets, they appropriately plan, communicate and execute audits empowering them with a level playing field. Audits of their franchisees revolve around two main pillars - supervision as well as mentoring. Following are the kind of audits conducted by the brand. Supervisory audits are mostly surprise onsite audits conducted to validate statistics of sales and revenue. While analysing the books and records, improper product purchases can be discovered. A simple review of key records can also reveal the opening and closing times, uniform clad staff, etc., compliance with wage regulations and banking requirements, and other important items.

Educative audits at their end are the pillars of providing complete A to Z remedies for any grievances their franchisees may have of their own.

A uniform and detailed written report is generated from each audit and distributed to the applicable parties within a reasonable time period after the audit is performed. Any serious noncompliance or underreporting is quantified. In the absence of a cure the matter invariably goes in termination.

Expansion roadmap

IOSIS is on the roadmap of expansion pan-India. They are working on parallel modules of salon and beauty, yoga studios, hair and body spa. In addition to the Fusion of 4 module of franchising, they see themselves as India's only international No. 1 wellness brand in the next five years.

The company is also eyeing unexplored parts of India such as the North-Eastern and Southern parts, apart from the existing focus on the Northern region. Regarding their expansion preferences, Shilpa Shetty Kundra, Chairperson, IOSIS, says: “Undoubtedly, there is a cutting edge that metros enjoy over tier II and III cities.”

For franchise queries contact:

Anjali Jain at Mobile: 9820078328

Email: ventures@iosiswellness.com

SMS: IOSIS Ventures to 53636

The Fusion of 4 combines skin, slimming, salon and spa treatments.

Skin: Skin is the mirror of your well being. It reflects the true story about a healthy you. IOSIS gives special emphasis to skin treatments. They have created three families of skin treatments, namely basic, advanced and ultimate facial systems. The alchemists suggest what is right for a client's skin after a complete skin analysis.

Slimming: At IOSIS, they understand the need and importance of body shape. Figure styling is the most important part of their hallmark Fusion of 4 methodologies. There is after all nothing more spectacular than a body in perfect shape.

Spa: The spa treatments give a magical touch to one's body. It soothes, nourishes and rejuvenates.

Salon: The final stage in their Fusion of 4 methodologies. This is where, like the final strokes in a painting, they introduce you to the 'new' you!

Trust key to franchise relationship

In a tête-à-tête with TFW Bureau, Vikram Bawa, Director - Strategic Expansion & Franchising, IOSIS, talks about the challenges and franchise relationship.

Manpower is a challenge in this industry. How do you manage the same for your company- owned and franchise centres?

In the downward spiral of economy, all industries face acute HR crunch. However, for the beauty and wellness industry, challenges are less in terms of availability of resources but more in terms of retention and work ethics. While catering to the luxury segment, the resources are well remunerated and trained by experienced professionals. The resources are coached based on their region, community and apt skill. They are groomed appropriately to deal with elite customers visiting the stores. Also, the stores are equipped with a good infrastructure which is maintained by agencies of repute.

Most importantly, IOSIS empowers its franchisees with adequate support and infrastructure and hence grievance pertaining to manpower is one in hundred.

What does it take to build a successful franchise relationship?

Building trust is the most critical factor. The framework of the agreement signed with IOSIS empowers franchisees with the requisite infrastructure, support and training in all segments of pre-opening, opening and post-opening phase. It is ensured at IOSIS that the franchisee has all relevant credentials and that he can and will deliver on the promises made. Failure to follow through on these initial promises starts the relationship off on a wrong foot or could eventually lead to costly litigation. Team IOSIS stays in touch with all the franchisees and this sets the tone for the relation. Needless to mention, honesty and integrity blended with corporate ethics make this relationship a success.

How many franchisee-run salons are operational and how many are in the pipeline?

Presently we have 4 franchisee run salons and 12 are in the pipeline to be opened by end 2013.

Comment