Popular Bollywood stylist Hakim Aalim launched his first hair styling franchise lounge in Hyderabad, the fourth in the country.
Talking to Indiaretailing, Manish Sawhney, CEO, Hakim Aalim, confirmed that the company is on an expansion spree and is soliciting franchisee enquiries. He said, “We are opening through the franchise route in various parts of the country. The next few openings are lined up for Delhi and Pune, while internationally we’ll soon open a lounge in Doha, Qatar.”
Asked about the investments required to be a franchisee, Sawhney said, “Investments part is discussed only once a person qualifies to be a franchisee. He may not be from a styling background, but must have a sound financial back-up.”
Discussing the support provided to a franchisee, Sawhney said, “We do draft a particular design that a franchisee needs to follow, depending on the catchments of his region. We not only help in staff recruitments, but also train the staff for 30-45 days in Mumbai. Supervision and guidance is always taken care of by the company.”
The company is also setting up a full-fledged training academy in Mumbai, which is expected to be launched soon.
Quizzed about the promotional/advertising strategy, Sawhney said, “Hakim Aalim himself is an established brand; he appears on TV shows and is associated with renowned Bollywood stars, which make up for the required publicity. We are not engaged in any media campaigning.”
The Hyderabad lounge is called Centrix. Spread across 2,200 square feet, the lounge will have an in-house DJ and a music console.
– Ranjan Kaplish
